| abstract
| - Transformers 2005 - Monday, August 26, 2002, 5:34 PM Autobot Shuttle You are within a space-faring vessel, its hull reinforced against the vacuum of space. A massive viewscreen dominates the front of the ship, a small console to the side controlling the views. The ship controls are complex and clearly not for use by the inexperienced. Contents: Hound Extended Radio Equipment 60 Console Olympic Stadium Vast and large, this circular stadium is to house the main events for the Monacus Olympics. Stands surround the center field, with chairs ranging from small sizes to much larger ones, able to seat Transformers of nearly every size. In the very center of the stadium is a raised platform about 30 meters (100 feet) on each side, obviously some sort of fighting arena. Ringing this platform is a wide, level expanse with different numbered rows, which borders the outside of the stands. And yet there is still a lot of empty space in the arena. Outside of the stadium are abandoned buildings, the remains of an area that Pangalactic Industries is in the process of rebuilding. People: Jazz Andi Lassiter First Aid Fastback Kup Sheng Hot Spot Sunstreaker Laserbeak Sheng walks up behind First Aid. "Yes, it would be nice to visit when you aren't wondering if someone's about to try and solve an old or new grudge with a gun, or knife in the dark." Andi Lassiter nods to First Aid, then smiles up at Sheng. "This place does seem a little hostile, doesn't it? Well, I'm ready to return home when you are." She holds up her overnight bag, then shoulders it to carry. Jazz walks into the statium and looks around for his fellow autobots. Scrapper has arrived. Scrapper stomps into view First Aid turns and nods at Sheng, "Exactly my point." Of course, he hasn't had to worry about anyone plotting to kill him. The medic doesn't really have much in the way of enemies, per se. Except perhaps Fulcrum from a while ago. He nods to Andi and Sheng, "Well, the transport leaves for Cybertron in just about an hour or so. I've prepped the shuttle myself." This'd be the shuttle that had its engines blow up on its first voyage. Sheng nods at Andi, glancing around in a seemingly casual manner. Her usual 'emotionless' facade is firmly in place, as usual. The femme ducks down to one knee to bring herself closer to Andi's eye level. She glances up at First Aid and blinks, then shakes her head. "How many Autobots are still planet side? And will we be going to Cybertron or Earth?" First Aid replies to Sheng, "Everyone is still planetside. The only shuttle going back is the Golden Age. I believe the plan is to go to Cybertron first, and then transport whomever to Earth as needed." Jazz walks over to First Aid and Co. "Hey man congrats on that Bronze in the tag team event I'm sure Blades will proud of ya. So you guys packed all your stuff for the return trip ?" Sheng nods at First Aid. "Roger that. I heard something about 'interferance' in the direction of Cybertron?" Andi Lassiter smiles to Jazz as he arrives, and nods in response to his question. Fulcrum arrives from the hotel to the west. Fulcrum has arrived. First Aid smiles to Jazz and hoists up his light silvery metal briefcase. "You betcha, Jazz." He grins at the thought of going home and nods to Sheng, "Yeah, something about an ionic disturbance. But with that out of the way, standard radio traffic has returned to normal." He shrugs, "Just one of these freakish acts of nature, I guess. Every planet gets them once and a while." Fulcrum trudges into the stadium, trying to remember where he left that disc. Andi Lassiter says, "Oh, that's right. What /was/ that all about? I remember hearing about it." First Aid shrugs again to Andi, never one to understand space anomalies or the like. "Perhaps we could track down the ion storm and see where it's passed on to. Might be worthy of a scientific expedition or something. Learn a bit more about how the universe works, as it were." Jazz looks at First Aid looking a bit serious "Do you know if there was any sort of negotiations with the Decepticons about the return trip ? You know the 'I don't shoot you - you don't shoot me'. Or must we prepare for another 'Ark' thing ?" Sheng hrms, expression darkening for a few moments as she considers that... oO(I don't like it... Oh well, hopefully First Aid is right...) First Aid scratches his chin and says, "Well... tradition's always been that Galvatron and Rodimus agree not to kill each other until planetside..." he smirks at the agreement, "But these Decepticons could be up to anything. I say we just keep the weapon ports open and the shields online at all times. Just in case, y'know." Andi Lassiter smiles. "Mr. Briar and I were ready to go examine the anomaly, but we were told that it was a magnitude that would be very bad on human systems." Fulcrum wanders over to the stands, overhearing First Aid's comment as he passes. Hmph. First Aid looks down at Andi, and can't help but think just how great it'd be if the Terrans and Autobots could do a joint research project. Something to better bring the factions together, as it were. "Maybe if we modified the shields... or... took a look at the exo-suits to try and shield you from harm..." He's grasping at straws. The Protectobot notices Fulcrum pass by, but doesn't give it more than a second thought. Blueshift has arrived. Sheng shakes her head. "I wouldn't want to risk anyone's life on an untested exo-suit or sheild, First Aid... Perhaps we could find another project for you and the humans to work together on? Andi Lassiter smiles at First Aid. "Have you spoken with Mr. briar? He would dearly LOVE to work with you or anyone else in the science division to inprove the EDC's exosuits." First Aid can't really argue with Sheng's logic there, so is forced to not and admit defeat on that particular point. "True, true." To Andi, First Aid snaps his fingers, "A while ago Mr. Briar and I were discussing some upgrades to the Exo-Suits. I was aiding him, but I don't know if he ever got the ideas off the ground and into the testing phase. I should contact him about that." Andi Lassiter nods to FA. "You should. And if possible, I'll try to help too." Sheng smiles for a second. "I'd offer to help too, but... well..." the femme glances at her taloned hands. "I'm not sure I would be much use." Fulcrum begins searching the stands for his missing disc. Fulcrum has left. Fulcrum has arrived. Sunstreaker hits on Mercy. First Aid, Sheng, Jazz, and Andi are all talking. Fulcrum was passing by. Andi Lassiter smiles to Sheng. "Of course you can help. We'll need someone to help test modifications, after all." A small ruckus can be heard from inside the medical tent. After a moment of silence, Mercy steps out, looking like a thundercloud. Or, rather, looking as if should there be one, she'd definitely be matching it in temperament. After a moment, she spots the crowd, and the femme deliberately smooths her features into a serene sort of expression as she waves. Sheng says, "so in another words I stand still and let you shoot at me?" the femme grins that faint ghost of a smile again (She's currently on one knee near Andi). "What fun." Andi Lassiter chuckles. "Actually, I was thinking the other way around. Say, if we're testing new shields, you can try to slice through them to see if they're holding." Sheng says, "ummm, my claws can't cut sheilds... That's why the gauntlets Depthcharge made for me are sheilds instead of metal..." the femme looks confused. "Do you mean hit it and see if I can hit it hard enough to short out the power supply?" Andi Lassiter smiles. "Yes, or use an energy weapon. We'll devise the tests as needed, but it really helps to have a colleague assisting rather than trusting the combat training drone with something potentially dangerous." First Aid folds his arms as Andi and Sheng start to discuss ways that Sheng can help out the research effort. Already the Protectobot is thinking of the schematics of the various Terran exo-suits. Course, he has yet to spend much time examining them. Sunstreaker pokes his head out of the medical tent where Mercy just came fro, a bottle of hot wax in one hand and a dented-in handprint on his face, "Was it something I said?!" Mercy heads for the crowd after a final look over her shoulder at the moron.....er, that is, 'bot that pokes his head out of the medical tent. "Not at all," she replies in a somewhat gravelly voice, very sweetly. "It's only your very existance, that's all." The second she says it, she snaps her mouth shut, pivots on her heel, and stalks over to First Aid's side. Temper meter at medium. Sheng nods slightly at Andi. She spots the new femme Autobot heading in this direction. The gold femme gets to her feet and turns slightly to watch, emotionless facade unconciously snapping firmly into place. "Greetings. I am Sheng..." the femme spots Sunstreaker and mentally blinks at his statment. oO(I don't think I want to know...) Fulcrum trudges back out of the stands, scowling. Still no damnned disc.. and Autobots everywhere. Wonderful. Fulcrum can't wait to get off this planet. Even Mars was better than this. At least on mars there were no local life-forms selling you junk, he thinks to himself, roughly shoving a rather insistant Replica Medal Vendor out of the way. Sunstreaker hrmpfs and puts his free hand to his face tenderly, "Prude..." he mutters to himself. First Aid glances over at Mercy, and then at Sunstreaker with the hot wax, and then back at Mercy. "I'm not going to ask." He jokes to to the fellow Autobot medic. He then OOCly idles a bit to take care of a few things before the TP starts. Andi Lassiter looks around as Sheng stands and turns to see what's made the gold femme snap into full Vulcan mode. Jazz looks at everyone "Hey once we are done with our little trip to Cybertron how about we host a post-olympic bash ? You know music, singing and stuff it would be great!" Mercy visibly gets a hold of herself and nods back at Sheng. "Mercy," she introduces herself. Though she's not new, it's not surprising few remember her. She could usually be found in the woodwork until not long ago. "And no, please don't," she tells First Aid, sighing. Sheng holds out a hand, bowing her head slightly. "Greetings, Medic Mercy. Sunstreaker being himself, I assume?" You know, maybe sometime we ought to have Sheng and Soundwave try and out emotionless each other... Andi Lassiter looks up at Mercy, recognizing her as one of the medical staff on Cybertron, and silently glad that she's already introduced herself, spares Andi the embarrassment of having forgotten a name. "Hello, Mercy." Mercy gives Andi a smile as she takes Sheng's hand in a firm grip. "Just Mercy," she corrects with a smile. "And yes." She doesn't look his way. "Again, still, forever, and annoyingly so." She doesn't match the emotionless Sheng, but she certainly does her best to look composed. Blueshift comes into view approaching the group of Autobots. His insignias are covered with Monacus official logos, although on closer glance they could have been ripped from posters. On his head is a tiny, ill fitting cap and he has a satchel round his shoulders in which a few valubles and even a... ripped off arm is in. "Wallet inspector, your wallets here" he calls out Jazz nods and smiles to Mercy "Hey there Mercy, long time no see. How ya been holdin' up ?" First Aid looks in Mercy's directly - finally he has a fellow medic to talk to! DC was starting to freak him out - and says, "Once we get back on Cybertron, we're going to have a lot of work ahead of us. With the ionic storm, transports to Cybertron from Earth will have to restart. We can't have our medical facilities running out of supplies during a war." As Blueshift comes and makes his request, First Aid nods, "Well then," he starts to reach into a subspace comparment for his container which holds credits. Andi Lassiter smiles to Mercy, then leans to one side a bit to see what this 'wallet inspector' is about. Her eyebrows go up when she spots Blueshift, and can't help but wonder who that person thinks he's fooling. A ghost of a smirk crosses Sheng's face. So fast that it makes you wonder if you even saw it. "I probably shouldn't mention the time I replaced his wax with some nice day-glo paint..." the femme looks in Sunstreaker's direction, then shakes her head, sliding back into Vulcan mode. "He'd taken all of the wax and cleaning solutions in the Earth-base's repair bay for himself alone." Blueshift waits for First Aid's credits, jotting some notes down on a clipboard. "Okay sir, if you can just hand it over for inspection..." Mercy This 'bot stands at average height for one of her make, definitely female if the sleek line of her model is any indication. Her colours are primarily red and white, with a flash of silver lining her shoulders and waist. From her wrists to her shoulders and then down to about her midsection, she bears a bold red colour with the Autobot symbol proudly emblazoned in white on her chest. From her waist to her knees is also red, with a wide white stripe down each leg on the outside. Her feet to her knees are made of white metal, a red first aid cross at the top and front. Where her 'skin' would be is silver with little design. Her features are clean-cut and nicely made under the white helmet, but lacking in artifice or 'pretty' colours that would call attention to her. Whoever made this model thought highly of allowing striking features to speak for itself, apparently. Her eyes gleam with pale green intelligence, and her hands are small and somewhat delicate looking. A Laser gun is strapped to her side in a kind of built-in holster, the only black upon her form. If all is as it seems, this is medical 'bot. Sunstreaker makes a face at Sheng as she turns her head away from him. Mercy is about to respond to Jazz and Sheng both when she looks over at Blueshift and freezes. When First Aid reaches into his compartment, she reaches out and holds his hand. "Hey! Wait a minute..." Andi Lassiter blinks, looking from Blueshift to FA. "First Aid, don't give him anything! He's trying to scam you." Fulcrum stops and stares at the logo-covered Blueshift. Sheng reaches over and puts a hand on First Aid's hand before he hands over the credits. "Greetings, DECEPTICON Blueshift." Wow, zero kelvin in three words! First Aid holds out his mechanical wallet and is just about to hand it over to Blueshift when Mercy and Andi speak up. Holding his grip on the wallet, he glances towards them, "Are you sure?" He looks over to Blueshift and squints, "How do we really know you're the wallet inspector?" Sunstreaker sulks over to the grouping of Autobots, looking to be in a rather foul mood as a result of Mercy breaking the hypocratic oath and smacking him upside the head. Fortunately for him, he left the hot wax back in the medical tent. Two femmes holding First Aid's hand. Lucky 'bot. Mercy glances at First Aid, then Blueshift. Then she shakes her head and gives Jazz an exasperated look. "Never a dull day," she replies to his greeting belatedly. "Unfortunately." Andi Lassiter steps closer to Blueshift, her unique vantage point (read: SHORT)allows her to see that those logos are just pasted on, and there's something underneath. "I think that logo on his chest is just glued there." Jazz grins at Mercy "Ha! You don't know the half of it." He looks at Blueshift...the blue optic band is shining a bit...sometimes you have to wonder what he's thinking about when he has 'that look'. Fulcrum isn't quite sure what the..Decepticon? is doing, but he's making no move to interfere. Groove has arrived. Groove moves in, scanning the area carefully. Sheng says, "I noticed." the femme continues to stare at blueshift, emotionless as ever. "Well, Blueshift. Should I call one of the real officals over here so you can explain why you ripped their insignas off... whatever you took them from... and then put them over your own faction symbols? I'm sure they would love to hear it all." Hack arrives from the Last Chance Alley. Hack has arrived. First Aid is still looking at Blueshift and awaiting the idiot's reply. Slowly he starts to retract his wallet and put it back into the container. He's starting to think that maybe Blueshift /isn't/ the wallet inspector! He squints at Blueshift's chest, trying to see if there's a Decepticon logo underneath the Monacus icons. But he can't see anything. Sheng shifts slightly so that she's in a better defensive position between the Decepticon and the medics and human. Her claw sheilds remain up though, and she makes no other move. Mercy removes her hand from First Aid's and puts her hands on her hips. Dangerously close to her weapon, but the medic doesn't seem to be moving for it. "Honestly," she mutters, then looks back at Jazz. "I can imagine. Really, I can." As First Aid puts away his credits, she gives hima perfunctory pat ont he shoulder. "Trust me. He's not any sort of inspector." Rumble has arrived. Rumble leaves to Last Chance Alley. Rumble has left. Galvatron has arrived. Galvatron stalks into the room. Spike arrives from the Last Chance Alley. Spike has arrived. Groove comes in, curious. Walking up behind FA, his optic scanning. "What's going on?" First Aid gestures to Blueshift - who has his Con logos covered up - and says to Groove, "The wallet inspector was just doing some routine inspections." He turns to his brother and says, "You just about ready to head on home?" Sky Lynx has connected. Sky Lynx leaves to Last Chance Alley. Sky Lynx has left. Mercy slants Groove a look that is awfully reminiscent of the look he had gotten a few days ago involving Slag and a certain, ahem, Decepticon. "You don't want to know." She gestures to Blueshift, who has had all of his Decepticon symbols covered by shoddily pasted on inspector symbols. And then to First Aid, who summed it up nicely. Jetfire has arrived. Jetfire strides in, his optic band studying everything intently. Andi Lassiter glances around, starting to feel uneasy about so many Cybertronians all standing so close together while she's underfoot. Spike has reconnected. Spike has partially disconnected. Groove nods. "Ready, yeah...but....wallet inspector?" His face looks remarkably blank at Blueshift. "I see." Nodding gratefully to Mercy, he doesn't look all that happy. Mercy notes Andi's predicament and offers the human a hand up. "Let's get you out from underfoot," she offers in that gravelly voice. She doesn't seem very amused, but as always, she's on the lookout for potential danger. She even takes a couple steps away to make sure there's plenty of distance between herself and the others. Blast Off has arrived. Sheng remains in her defensive postion. She takes her optics off Blueshift for a moment as Mercy picks up Andi and shifts her position again slightly. The gold femme takes a moment to look around and see where the other Decepticon's are... and what type of mood they are in... Scrapper is standing near the entrance to the stadium, not being overly obviuos, not trying to hide, just standing, the look on his face is that of deep thought. Andi Lassiter ohs. "Thank you, Mercy." She accepts the femme's hand up, settling on her shoulder as comfortably as she does when Sheng gives her a lift. Jetfire leaves to Last Chance Alley. Jetfire has left. Overpass has arrived. Astrotrain has arrived. Mercy nods back to Andi, her focus on the Decepticons that are slowly filtering in. Then her optics slant towards Groove and Jazz, and her expression is wryly exasperated. "Since we're all gathering, shall I make martinis? Shaken, not stirred?" Groove shrugs. "I've never been a tuxedo guy." Looking over at FA, he shrugs. "When do we need to leave, anyhow?" Blaster has arrived. Blaster walks into the room, looking forever as though he's moving to some silent (you hope) beat. Compile has connected. Fulcrum is just lurking some distance away from the group of Autobots, just waiting to leave this damn planet. First Aid sighs at Groove and puts his hand on his brother's shoulder, "'Cause we have a war to fight." Not the answer Groove was hoping for, probably. "Don't worry, there's alawys two years from now. It'll be Olympic time before you even know it." Overpass scans around at the growing presence within the stadium, stopping to avoid a host of aliens busy relocating the remains of a souvenir stand. He can sense the growing anxiety to get off of this planet, and pauses to prepare a few precautionary measures. Groove smiles. "I know, I know...things'll be work out. Besides, roads around here are fairly boring anyhow." Blaster leans against the stands, waiting for the orders to get off the planet that will soon return to it's normal obnoxious self Hot Spot comes into the stadium, Slezardo in tow. One arm has a smoking hole in it. Because of that, Hot Spot does not look happy. The little lizard is squwking and hissing the whole time as Hot Spot gets near the group. With his good hand he throws Slezardo underhand who lands with a thud in front of Hot Spot, who still does not like a happy camper at this time. Jazz looks at his chrono "Better hold them martinis for the in-flight movie. We should be leaving any minute now. " The autobot keeps track of the Decepticon's position around the statium just in case...The bots are all sitting cyber-ducks actually...Standing in the middle of a field no cover for a good 40 yards. First Aid smiles at Groove's optimistic attitude and takes one last look at the battered and broken combat pit that he was staring at when this RP scene started up. "Now all that's left is to jump back to Cybertron and show my medal off to Blades." he grins. Spotting an approaching firefighter with a lizard being dragged along, the Protectobot medic rubs his chin and asks the oh so obvious question, "What happened to you, Hot Spot?" he looks at Spot's arm with concern, already reaching for his med kit. Stepping into the stadium entranceway, GALVATRON pauses under the shadowy gateway and smiles to himself. In only moments, the Transformers will be rid of Monacus and the WAR will be on once again. He puts his hand to his cannon and reassures himself that the power he can harness will be the end of his moral enemies, especially that pathetic whiner Rodimus Prime and the disgustingly loyal, Ultra Magnus. "DECEPTICONS!" he shouts, as he steps out from the shadows, "Get to our shuttle, at once!" he orders, "But first, I want to address /all/ the AUTOBOTS here! Know this Autobots: Tradition has kept you safe from me, but once we get to Cybertron, the war will be on and you shall die! And not before. I want all my enemies in one place so that I can crush them on the metallic plain of our home. It is where we were born and where YOU shall pass on! Poetic don't you think? HAHA! So be forewarned, Autobots, on Cybertron your fear will return! This the Decepticons will not be stopped. We are taking Cybertron. So I suggest you get back there! HAHA!" Sheng says, "Does he ALWAYS announce his battle plans for the world to hear and act upon?" Groove says, "Came with his cannon." Blaster looks at Galv, "Cool, thanks for the promise of no assault on the way home. And do you make this speech every 2 years or was this one prepared exclusively for this evening?" Mercy utilizes her vocal modulators to make a sound roughly like a cough as she hears Blaster's comment. She turns around so she is shoulder to shoulder with First Aid, and Andi mostly covered by both on at least two sides. She looks up at Galvatron, then looks at Hot Spot. And bites back the particularly witty, but not entirely appropriate comment that sprang to mind and mouth. Fulcrum straightens to what approximates attention as Galvatron summarises his Evil Plans, then begins plodding towards the exit. Jazz looks at Sheng "Straight outta the supervillain handbook. Though if we can actually trust him to stick to the tradition we won't have to worry about getting blasted to pieces before we land on Cybertron. Which is fine by me since I would not want a repeat of the Questor's maiden flight." Overpass, showing absolutely no hesitation, marches towards the Decepticon leader -- and promptly stops to digest the barrage of verbal vomit from the tyrant. "Well, that simplified things," he murmurs, turning around to address the Autobots. "Autobots, we may safely make our way to the shuttles at this time." Green Cassette Tape double times his way to the shuttle. don't piss the cannon off. With that cool Transformation sound, the green cassette tape grows, and takes the form of Compile, Decepticon Field Medic. Compile double times his way to the shuttle. don't piss the cannon off. Fulcrum leaves to Last Chance Alley. Fulcrum has left. First Aid mmms and nods to the surrounding Autobots and to Overpass, "I agree. Lets get out of here before Galvatron gets a big head start to Cybertron. Wouldn't want him launching an attack before we could even get there." He smirks at the thought and reports, "The Golden Age is fully fueled and prepped for launch, sir. We're ready to leave once everyone is aboard." If Mercy weren't so keen on keeping her cool, she'd cheer at Overpass' comment. But she just turns to First Aid and waits for him, murmuring to Andi, "Want to walk or stay up?" Galvatron taps his forearm and makes a short transmission, then simply turns away and disappears into the shadows. Overpass transforms into a semi truck, cool noise echoing. Woo! Andi Lassiter answers Mercy quietly, being on the femme's shoulder and all. "Stay here, if you don't mind. You all walk much faster than I do." Hack has left. Hot Spot would fold his arm, but one is kinda damaged slightly right now, only some dermal armor was cut out with some energy weapon but still, nothing serious right now. He does not say anything about his cross with Slezardo, who goes slipping off in the handy distraction to cause trouble for the next Olympics. Spoot clenches his fist and says, "If he wants a fight right after the Olympics, I say we give it to him." Normally Blades is right next to him all gun ho about it but as he's not here, dam him, he turns to First Aid and Groove saying, "Looks like it might be rough the second we get to cybertron. Are you two ready?" Hack has arrived. First Aid transforms into an ambulance. Jazz leaps into the air and folds down on himself and into a stylish white Porsche 935. Groove hrms. "I'm charged up, boss. I just hope that he's smart enough not to play that game. But, oh, well.." Ambulance (First Aid) opens up his door in case Andi wants a lift. Hardstrike arrives from the hotel to the west. Hardstrike has arrived. Leaping up, Groove's legs come together, steering collumn and wheel shifts around, and he collapses into his Motorcycle mode! Hardstrike leaves to Last Chance Alley. Hardstrike has left. Galvatron leaves to Last Chance Alley. Galvatron has left. Mercy smiles and gestures to First Aid. "In there. He's probably safest," she adds to Andi as she puts the human down. Astrotrain leaves to Last Chance Alley. Astrotrain has left. Hack enters the Med Tent and then signals a bunch of waiting MSE Lackies. The Lackies emerge from the tent carrying Gargoyle's Body in a simple metal casket with the Decepticon Emblem eteched on the top of it. Hack motions to the Lackies and says "Drop him on the shuttle." Black Semi leaves to Last Chance Alley. Black Semi has left. Ambulance (First Aid) leaves to Last Chance Alley. Ambulance (First Aid) has left. Blaster leaves to Last Chance Alley. Blaster has left. Hot Spot falls back and reforms into a firetruck. Flaming blue fire truck leaves to Last Chance Alley. Flaming blue fire truck has left. You enter Monacus's Spaceport. Monacus Spaceport The spaceport's ceiling is held up by rafters, but the rest is clear, allowing you to look up in the beautiful sky of Monacus. There are doors leading to various Launching Pads, and security to ensure safety at the Spaceport. Right outside the spaceport are many, many merchants, all wanting you to purchase various goods they have to sell, all of which are 'very important,' according to them. Contents: Flaming blue fire truck Galvatron Space Assault Fighter Jetfire Mirage Autobot Shuttle Terran Shuttle UN Space Shuttle Decepticon Shuttle Autobot Shuttle Quintesson Shuttle Shuttle Terminal (Monacus) Steeljaw enters from the Central Plaza to the west. Steeljaw has arrived. Space Assault Fighter sits waiting to escort the Decepticons in their shuttle back to Cybertron Compile enters from the Central Plaza to the west. Compile has arrived. The White Porsche unfolds, arms and legs are becoming visible. The body seems to cartwheel in mid-air, the robot form of Jazz stylishly lands and is ready for action. Galvatron has left. Galvatron boards the Relentless. Galvatron stalks into the room. Compile has left. Compile boards the Relentless. Hack enters from the Central Plaza to the west. Hack has arrived. You climb into the Golden Age... Autobot Shuttle You are within a space-faring vessel, its hull reinforced against the vacuum of space. A massive viewscreen dominates the front of the ship, a small console to the side controlling the views. The ship controls are complex and clearly not for use by the inexperienced. Contents: Hardstrike Hound Red Cassette (Grand Slam) Extended Radio Equipment 60 Console Flaming blue fire truck boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Blaster takes a seat at a communications console, well where else would you expect him. Fastback boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Red Cassette (Grand Slam) is plugged into a console, playing a video game. Though it looks more like the game is playing itself. Groove boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Groove moves in, scanning the area carefully. Overpass boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. First Aid boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Hound is sitting in the pilot's seat and he's giving a last check at the navigation screen. Mirage boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Mercy boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Hardstrike buckles himself in, and waits for the ride back. Autobot Shuttle You are within a space-faring vessel, its hull reinforced against the vacuum of space. A massive viewscreen dominates the front of the ship, a small console to the side controlling the views. The ship controls are complex and clearly not for use by the inexperienced. Contents: Mercy Mirage First Aid Overpass Groove Fastback Blaster Hot Spot Hardstrike Hound Red Cassette (Grand Slam) Extended Radio Equipment 60 Console Mercy seats herself by the hatch and peers out for any stragglers. "I hate long trips," she mutters to the wall. Groove grabs a chair, and leans back. First Aid takes up a seat near the front of the shuttle at one of the engineering stations. The Protectobot medic is anxious to see how his shuttle'll perform on this mission - even if it's an extremely simple one. Red Cassette (Grand Slam) is plugged into a console, playing a video game. Though it looks more like the game is playing itself, he doesn't even bother acknowledging the other bots. Fastback takes up a position at one of the tactical consoles, in preparation for the voyage home. Various instruments come to live as she powers them up in turn. Hot Spot rolls up the ramp, into the ship and transforms. Taking a seat near Groove he says, "Better do a weapons check before we leave. Galvatron's been known to change his mind on more than on occasion." He begins to check over his fireball launcher, checking the clip, cleaning the sight, all those cool things you do with a weapon to make sure it works. Jazz grabs a seat and makes himself comfortable "Allright, little trip to Cybertron and back to good old earth." Overpass strikes a dramatic pose behind Hound, while his player goes to have a filthy cigarette. Springer boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. Mercy looks about, frowning. "Where is Andi?" From First Aid, Andi Lassiter boards the Golden Age. Andi Lassiter boards the ship from Monacus Spaceport. First Aid drops Andi Lassiter. First Aid hopefully let Andi out before transforming. To avoid twinky same-player interaction, Steeljaw is in fact playing the game /with/ Grand Slam, but will not pose agian this scene. Ever. Mercy spots Andi just as she asks the question, then beckons to Hot Spot. "While you're here, let me look at that arm." She reaches for her kit. Groove blinks. "Nasty, boss....who did -that-?" Hound looks back at Overpass, "The Golden Age is ready sir, we can launch whenever you want." Andi Lassiter looks over at Mercy and Hot Spot, and offers, "Let me know if there's anything I can do." She's already secured in one of the few human-sized seats in the shuttle, and would rather not get up again until the shuttle is well under way. Springer enters the shuttle looking around for a seat. "Hrmph, looks like all the good seats are taken already. Guess I'm a passenger today." Springer moves up behind a chair and with his incredible 'springing' powered legs jumps over the back of the seat and into it. Blaster starts playing rock and roll music throughout the shuttle, thankfully not loud enough to deafen anyone First Aid points out the window as the Relentless starts to power up, "Looks like the Cons are in a hurry, sir. We better hurry up ourselves. Can't let 'em get too big of a head-start." Mirage just sits back in one corner of the shuttle with his arms crossed and sits down for a nice enjoyable, uneventful trip back to Cybertron. With a quiet rumble, the FTL engines come online. Hot Spot shrugs and sits down the rifle on his lap, "Sure." he nods to Mercy as Groove asks. Hot Spot holds up a hand and says, "It's nothing. A lizard like alien, Slezardo I think his name was, gave me the idea that Streetwise was here on Monacus and in trouble. I followed and met some of Slezardo's 'associates' who didn't like my wins in the competitions. The Golden Age travels onward to Deep Space - Galactic Plane. The Golden Age travels onward to Cybertron System. A subaudial whine becomes briefly noticable as the FTL engines cut off and the vessel returns to sublight speed. Autobot Shuttle You are within a space-faring vessel, its hull reinforced against the vacuum of space. A massive viewscreen dominates the front of the ship, a small console to the side controlling the views. The ship controls are complex and clearly not for use by the inexperienced. Contents: Andi Lassiter Springer Mercy Mirage First Aid Overpass Groove Fastback Blaster Hot Spot Hardstrike Hound Red Cassette (Grand Slam) Extended Radio Equipment 60 Console First Aid looks at the viewscreen. Mercy frowns as she examines Hot Spot's arm, then shakes her head. "Figures," she mutters. "Let's see here.... Well,t he good news is that you can keep the arm." It's a joke... Oi. It's supposed to be anyway. Hardstrike reviews a few reports, but otherwise just rests up, wondering what has happened while the majority of the faction was away. Hound looks at the viewscreen. , Terran Shuttle enters from the spinward side. Groove leans back and closes his optics. First Aid transforms into an ambulance. Andi Lassiter has fallen asleep during the trip back, what usually happens. Springer leans back in his chair and looks over at Hot Spot. "Whats the deal? No in-flight movie?" Springer crosses his arms over his chest plate and watches the viewscreen idly from his seat. Hot Spot shrugs, "Guess not. Few shuttles are packed to the top with entertainment." He shrugs, "Wish there were. Backdraft especially. Can't get enough of that movie." Blaster nicely monitors the comm channels, being his job and all Mercy reaches into her kit, ignoring those around her, and pulls out several instruments. Easy stuff. Her small hands work quickly, and at the very least, without her full range of equipment, she tweaks a few things to make it at least easier to use the arm. "See me when we are home, and I'll make it look nicer. If Sunstreaker hasn't taken it all, I may even be able to polish it up." She sits back, then, and eyes Hot Spot. "Don't do anything rash to re-hurt it, or I'll break your other arm." A smile is flashed, a quick one. Another joke. One hopes. Overpass places a hand on Blaster's shoulder, all the while peering intently into the viewscreen. "Open communications with base as soon as we come within range, Blaster." Blaster nods to Overpass, "Already ready. We'll have them ready to handle anything Galvatron throws at them in a nanosecond." Overpass nods succinctly. "Excellent. Hound," he turns his attention on the pilot, gesturing towards the screen with an open hand. "Estimated time of arrival within the planet's orbit?" Hound push few buttons and gives a check at his navigational screen, "Estimated time before our arrival... 2,45 astrominutes" Mercy leans over to make sure Andi is securely strapped in, then doublechecks herself. If she had the ability, she would look green. Instead, she just grips the the straps and tries not to hurt something. Like herself. Hot Spot nods to Mercy and looks at the repairs, "Hey, good job Mercy." He nods, "Thank you. I'll be sure to call if I need any repairs again." He sits back and picks up his rifle to do one last weapon check on it. He pulls out the clip, making sure the connections are clean, then snaps it back in. Groove looks up to FA. "Hey, FA! I think we've finally found Blades' replacement!" Springer, chuckles at Hot Spot and looks over at Mercy. "Make sure you aren't too far when Hot Spot and I decide to spar in some hand to hand combat. He promised me a couple of rounds since I couldn't make the games in enough time." Springers optics twinkle with amusement. Mercy cracks open an eye - that is, a small pale green slit appears at her optics - and glances from Hot Spot to Springer. "Not 'til his arm is fully functioning at a hundred percent," she says firmly. Her grip doesn't let up on the straps. Overpass continues to monitor the presence of the Relentless on the main screen. "Maintain a scan for weapons energy. I want to know the instant they attempt to bring anything online." Groove looks over at Mercy. "Ever considered becoming a Protectobot?" Hot Spot chuckles, "We could always use an extra one on the team. If only to keep Blades and Streetwise on their toes." Mercy's optics snap open - on? - and she looks oddly at Groove. "Me? I'm just a medic," she replies, looking uncertain. Groove says, "Hey, nothing wrong with being a medic. Besides, we could use some extra hands around." Fastback's fingers dance over the tactical console. "We should have enough warning if they try anything. They're well within distance of our short-range sensors," she notes, in the direction of Overpass. Hot Spot nods, "I agree, good call Groove. She'd make an excellent partner with First Aid here." He turns to his 'favorite' medic, "Wouldn't you agree First Aid? I'm sure you could use the extra help in our medic staff." Andi Lassiter wakes and sits straight in her seat, rubbing at her face with one hand and asking groggily, "Are we there?" Hardstrike watches the Protectobots try to recruit. Either that, or try to hook up First Aid. Either way, its somewhat entertaining. To hell with First Aid. Groove hooks up only himself. But it -would- be fun to see Blades blow a gasket. "Make sure your belt is secured," Mercy says distractedly to Andi, giving Groove, Hot Spot, and First Aid. "I hadn't really thought about it," she says awkwardly. Andi Lassiter nods a little to Mercy, and with the lack of coordination of the not quite awake, fumbles her seeatbelt into place. Hot Spot shrugs, "Well, it's no pressure really. If you want to you can, if you don't well...that's ok too. Just think about it is all." He smiles under the faceplate while running a check on his internal weapon systems, which show all green. , Alas (oh but I'm sure you all assumed that there would be an 'Alas' coming up really soon) as the twin shuttles (and probably the various Con and Bot escorts) arrive in orbit over Cybertron. The pair begin to soar towards their respective positions in order to land. That's when these monitoring the communications array - Blaster for the Bots, and whomever for the Cons - will notice something insanely wrong with the communications. Suddenly they all just... wink out. Radio traffic stops dead. The energy signatures of both Autobot Headquarters and Imperial Headquarters flash once and then vanish, as if suddenly shut down. Lights all over the planet dim to a mere fraction of what it was before. Where mere seconds ago Cybertron was its old cheerful self, suddenly it appears to be a much darker, much more sinister place to be. Groove ...."It's not supposed to go dark like that....did someone put down the shades?" Overpass scans over the screen, deep furrows crossing his brow as he takes in the sudden change in scenery. "Blaster, we should have been in range," he calmly begins. "Did you manage to make contact with base?" Blaster looks at his console, then checks his own comm systems and finally looks over at Overpass, "Hey, we got a problem here, and it ain't no local DJ playing the wrong tunes." Hardstrike blinks, " Blaster, did you leave your stereo system running agian? " he says, eyeing the windows. " Because they're gonna be some angry peopel down there..." Fastback stares quietly at the console. "Either something's wrong with the sensor readings, or something VERY strange just happened." She turns her gaze on Overpass, awaiting any insight on his behalf. Hot Spot looks out of the screen and says, "Massive power outage? That'd take a huge amount of energy diversion from both con and bot power grids. What the heck is doing that?" Hound hits some buttons and looks back at Overpass, "I lost AHQ signals!" Springer opens up a compartment and pulls out a datapad, tapping away at it idly. Springer backspaces a bunch of times. Springer backspaces again. Springer repeatedly his the backspace. Springer frowns and clears out the first line yet again. Hey baby,hows it shakin? Springer hits the off button dejectedly and shakes his head. He mutters to himself. "Forget it, I'll just wait till I see her." He shrugs to himself. Mercy looks from Hot Spot to what little she can see of the situation, and she frowns. "Talk about lights out." Jazz snaps out of his rest cycle as he hears Blaster's comment about the lack of local DJ "Really ? What the heck happened ? Do you think that ion storm could have fried some of our antennas ?" Springer opens up a compartment and pulls out a datapad, tapping away at it idly. 'Dear Arcee.' Springer backspaces a bunch of times. 'My dearest Arcee.' Springer backspaces again. 'My one and only...' Springer repeatedly his the backspace. 'My perfect pink....' Springer frowns and clears out the first line yet again. 'Hey baby, hows it shakin?' Springer hits the off button dejectedly and shakes his head. He mutters to himself. "Forget it, I'll just wait till I see her." He shrugs to himself. Groove says, "Looks more like it blew the breakers." Andi Lassiter blinks, looking around as everyone suddenly sounds frantic. She squints to see what's outside the viewscreen, and gets one of those chills down her spine. This does NOT bode well. Blaster looks at Jazz, "If it did it fried every antenna on the planet, and I know we have some way stronger than anything that Ion storm could take out Jazz, this ain't nothing natural." Overpass tightens the focus of his optics, shearing them down into slits of brilliant blue. "Alright, we'll have to do this blind. Hound, are you up to the challenge?" He turns to the pilot, tipping his head once in affirmation. Hardstrike eyes the windows, and glances to the others. " No, we would of detected an Ion Storm in the area....something must of happened planetside..." he says, eyeing the view of his home once agian. " Try the emergency radio equipment, see if you can get any direct signals on a two way frequency..." Springer's attention is now 100 on what is going on around him. "Wha?" Is all he manages to get out as he waits to see what is happening. Hound looks back at Overpass with a big smiles on his face, "Damn right I'm up to it! I could land this baby with a blindfold on my optics!" Jazz looks by the window "I have a bad feeling about this." The autobot looks around and his gaze settles on Andi...then he starts looking towards the back of the shuttle. Hot Spot rubs his chin and says, "We'd better send down the escorts first. I'd hate to see what we'd run into down there if something bad is going on." He shrugs, "Standard procedure in these emergencies." Red Cassette (Grand Slam) is still absorbed in the video game, he probably doesn't even realize what's going on. Groove says, "...he's gonna put the landing skids down before trying to do it blindfolded, right?" Fastback hrms, optics narrowing slightly as she skims over the latest sensor reports. "Looks like some massive power outtage, on a planetary scale. I'm getting a mere fraction of the feedback I should be. It's like someone just hit the power switch..." Mercy taps one finger against her chin, her optics slitted as she thinks furiously. "Planet wide? What could possibly happen in the length of time we, 'Bots and 'Cons, were gone? What happened to the others left?" She peers over at the screens, but can't see much. Her hand flexes on the straps. "I'll keep the medical gear ready," she mutters, already categorizing her gear. "WHat'd the 'Cons pull this time?" Hardstrike shakes his head, " This may not be a good idea...but why not check notes with the Decepticons? So far, they've done nothing but make no more an attempt to land than we have, from what I can see. Maybe they're as shocked as we are? " Overpass cups Hound's shoulder with a hand and taps the controls. "Then you get started on that. Blaster, continue to try every frequency you can in attempt to make contact. Fastback, keep those sensors rolling. Everyone else --" He glances once more at the bleak Cybertronian landscape below. "Buckle up." Mercy triple-checks Andi's buckles, giving her a reassuring smile, then re-checks a her own. "Cripes." Hound opens the intercom, "Ok everybody, here is Hound, your pilot for the flight. We lost contact with memorial spaceport but we're gonna try a blind landing. So everybody sit and put his belt on. Thanks for traveling on Autobot Air." Groove buckles down, and sighs. "Here we go..." Ultra Magnus boards the ship from Cybertron System. Hot Spot nods and straps himself in. He looks over at his brothers and smirks, "Well, at least it's not boaring on the return trip." His features get a little more darker and stricter, "Ok Protectobots, we've gone through this type of thing before and made it. This won't be any different." He grins a little as his optics glow softly giving resassurenace to his crew. Hardstrike adjusts his straps, and sighs. " Every slaggin' time..." he mutters, referring to his typical travel within Autobot Shuttles. They drop like flies, I tell you. Andi Lassiter smiles faintly to Mercy, then watches in worried silence while absently rubbing the backs of her arms with her hands as if cold. Hardstrike blinks, and realizes instantly, " QUINTESSONS! " Blaster says, "Bugger" ALERT MISSILES - ALERT MISSILES - ALERT MISSILES Springer looks around, a slightly concerned look apparent on his face, but his voice sounds calm. "Hey, don't worry guys. Magnus, Arcee, Daniel and I had to land like this and our shuttle was in much worse shape. Hound will do just fine." Springer checks the restraint system on himself just to be sure. A frown appears on his face almost immediately. "Sheesh, I'm beginning to sound like Kup." Groove says, "Well...damn." Fastback taps a few more instructions into the console, then sits back with a rather thoughtful expression on her face. "Nothing...And as far as I can tell, we're not being jammed in any way." Before she can theorize further, the video feed cuts in. Upon its conclusion her tones becomes one of utmost urgence. "Fifty-nine marks, and incoming. FAST!" Hardstrike blinks, " Forget safety, we're better off crashing planetside....those missiles could blow us to bits! " Mercy firms her mouth and deliberately frees her hands of the straps just in case. She doesn't say anything but she does gather her gear close. Internbal monologue begin: Steady... Steady, Mercy. Hound shout, "I CAN'T AVOID THEM ALL." The Autobot starts to hits buttons on his command console. Jazz holds on to his seat "Oh Primus this is gonna suck more than Brittney Spears's farewell tour." Hound starts to take evasive action, but this his a huge shuttle, not a startfighter. Hot Spot grits his teeth and says, "Groove, grab a turret, blast those dam things down!" He pulls the restraints off and heads over to a turret control and beings power it up. Almost immediately the weapons on his side begin to humm and twang out weapons fire towards the incoming targets. Overpass glances around furiously, handing out orders left and right. "Start securing yourselves for a possible crash landing, everyone. Hound, Fastback, get us out of the line of fire if you can." Just then he notices the human on board with Mercy and starts that direction, not losing his cool in the face of potential destruction. "We need to shield her before one of those gets through our defense." Groove nods, unstrapping and running for a turret. "Right!" Hardstrike pulls his straps off, and joins Hot Spot, " Get to the turret, I'll finish power up procedures..." he tells the Protectobot commander, " You'll need to start shooting right away..." Blaster quickly transforms in order to make a long range transmission and warn autobot city earth of the situation Twin Twist moves into view. Ultra Magnus disembarks from the Golden Age. Mercy unbuckles herself long enough to move closer to Andi, then buckles herself in again next to her. "Good morning, I'll be your cushion in the event of a crash landing," she says to the human. "Flip me on my back and I'll float. We hope." Hound makes the Golden Age executes a U-turn. He tries to get all the power he can from the engines to move aways from Cybertron. Andi Lassiter looks up at Mercy with wide eyes, and says in perfect seriousness, "But there aren't any bodies of water on Cybertron." Blaster sends a long-range radio transmission to Stratosphere. Fastback frantically hits a few keys. "Sensors are useless. I'm shutting them down to the bare minimim and shunting all available power to the maneuvering thrusters. It's all I can give you, Hound. The rest is up to you." Mercy gives Andi a smile that doesn't do justice to the seriousness of the situation and deadpans, "Well, there goes my value." Groove barely manages to get to one of the turrets before the ship slews, strapping down hard and arming the lasers, trying to hit some of the missies and their itty-bitty-missilemissiles. Soon enough, Twin Twist comes up from the lower portions of the ship. He's holding a dirty ol' My Little Pony beach-towel, which happens to serve as a decent rag for the fifteen-foot tall robot. The towel is stained in dark blue and orange, paint that Twin Twist has taken a couple hours to remove. "Ey-yo, wot's goin' on?" Springer unfastens his restraints and makes his way over to Merci and Andi. "Not that I don't think you can handle this on your own Mercy (sheesh he's been around Arcee too much) But if you don't mind I'll help brace the two of you for impact." Springer braces himself against a chair and envelopes the two in his powerful arms. Through the hole chaos Crankshaft just remains very glued to his place in the shuttle. "Great. I knew this was going to happen," he continues muttering under his breath, obviously not happy with the situation at hand. "Now to wait for the crash and start repairing, my lot in life. Bah." But as he looks around, the expression on his faceplate seems to soften. He looks, scared. Jazz looks around "Guess we'll find out if those new crashguard devices I put in work...Though honestly I did not hope they would be used so soon." Red Cassette (Grand Slam) suddenly shuts down the game as he wakes up to a much more serious situation, "Aw crud." he mutters, "Dis is like a bad dream, I've crashed in a shuttle once already, I don' need to do it twice now..." "If I weren't concerned about a crash landing," Mercy mutters, "I'd think you were trying to pull a fast one." She wraps herself around Andi, too, so she's doubly protected. And then falls silent as she locks her jaw in place. Fingers fly across a weapons control panel as Hot Spot brings up targeting data. "Missiles, coordinates 14 by 10 off our nose. Dang it, I can't get a lock on from my fire arc. Going to secondary targeting systems." He grabs a headset and slips it on before adjusting the wire mic to be near his mouth. He issues a set of commands as red dots begin flashing on his screen, "I got locks, firing rail weapons!" The twang thud of mach 4 slugs from weapon housings sticking out the shuttle vibrates through the hull from each shot. Andi Lassiter is protected better than just abouit anyone else in the Golden Age, but still silently wishes she had one of Briar's experimental, heavily-armoured exosuits to hide inside. The human sized ghetto blaster starts rapidly growing, as two legs unfold at it's sides and two arms pop out, a head pops up and very soon the previously innocent looking ghetto blaster is now a massive 20 foot robot, including those already scarily loud looking speakers...which are now bigger. Hardstrike graps something or another to hold onto, trying to throw his size and weight into keeping from a nice little trip to the wall of the shuttle. He flips switches, waits for indicators, and then glances at the Protectobots, " Power's on! GO! " Two shuttles, two factions, two different approaches. Well, similar. The Autobots arm their turrets and begin firing at the missiles, trying to take down as many as possible while bracing for impact. The Decepticon shuttle slowly lurches away, trying desperately to evade the agile missiles. Both work - to a degree. Groove guns down several missiles, but others are merely unfazed by the ballistic weaponry on the Golden Age, or simply manage to avoid getting struck. There are, of course, A LOT of them. A missile thuds against the shields of the Golden Age, it the entire thing shakes violently. A crack forms in the hull as more advance. The Relentless is luckier as a slew of missiles streak by the chassis despite Hack piloting one way and Galvatron ordering the other. The escorts, save Sky Lynx, are agile enough to evade the missiles, and even can shoot some down if they try. The image and voice are still present, "Destranis!" The voice booms, apparently speaking to someone offscreen, "Lock on volly two..." Nice little pause before a very calm and satisfying, "Fire." The missile launchers have reloaded, locked on, and fired again. An amused grin plays across Springer's face. "What, with the way all of you Femmes gossip? There is _no_way_ I'd dare try and pull any fast ones. You ladies wouldn't let me forget about it for at least a millenia. Two for Arcee." Springer looks down at the female human to make sure she is as safe as can possibly be. Twin Twist is slammed into wall on his left. "..agh! EY, ah sed wot's goin' on?! We undah attack, or did someone get likker'd up b'foh' dey took da controls!?" Groove opens fire, hoping this actually works. "GAAAAAAH!" Hound shouts, "We're hit, We're hit. There's a big hole in our hull." The Autobot tries to evade the other missiles but he lost control of the shuttle. "I'm losing control of the shuttle." Fastback grimaces as missiles strike the shuttle, causing it to rock violently. "Structural integrity has been comprimised. We get caught again and we'll be landing in two pieces, if not more." And as if it couldn't get any worse. "...We've got more incoming, too." Mercy rocks against Springer as the ship lurches, her head bangs against his chin, but she does the bast she can to make sure Andi is protected. "Right," she manages, yanked back by the straps and Springer both. "This is fun. Good thing this ride only charges two tickets each." her opticsw close as she hears Hound, but she forces them on again. She has to eb prepared. Blaster becomes an extra out of star trek, or so it seems. As he transforms his communications console explodes, sending Blaster flying, rather ungracefully, through the air, over several Autobots. He comes smacking down, with all the grace and control of a big large falling thing. *SMACK* His head bounces off of a weapons control station, disabling some of the shuttles weapons, and knocking the communications bot straight into unconciousness. Andi Lassiter blinks...did she just hear 'hole in our hull'? That means rapid decompression, doesn't it? Hardstrike is hit as Blaster flies by the console, and unable to keep himself form flying. Shoving the unconcious form of the Tape Guardian off of him, he glances at Andi, " Mercy, get her into an Exo-Suit! " he yells, as the ship begins to careen out of control. Overpass spins around as the hull of the Golden Age is breached, rumbling, "We're more than likely going to have to make a crash landing! Keep those missiles at bay and pre--" *KRAKOOM!* Another missile strikes the previously weakened frame, just near where Fastback sits at the controls. Thankfully the gargantuan warrior dashes her out of the way with a shoulder check before a third barrage rips it open completely -- striking Overpass directly and sending him toppling out of the gash. One mighty gauntlet locks down on the edge, keeping him from tumbling out completely. Mercy glances around and back at Springer. "Stabilize me!" she shouts, already unbuckling herself and lurching for a Suit. With the other hand, she all but picks up Andi and hopes to high heaven the human knows what she needs to do. "Move, Andi! In!" Hound is still fighting with his console, "Yeah crash landing os our only option, we can't outdistance those missiles" Red Cassette (Grand Slam) decides it's safest to stay plugged in at the moment, he calls out to anyone whom might be paying attention, "Systems are failing left and right, at this point 'might' is the wrong word for it. Brace for impact." Hardstrike transmits a message via radio to Hot Spot. Hot Spot receives a radio transmission from Hardstrike. Jazz sees Blaster flying loose from his seat and there is a hole in the shuttle who will probably suck Blaster out into space. The slick spy retracts his hand and launches his grapping hook around one of Blaster's leg in order to keep him inside the shuttle. Andi Lassiter holds her breath as best she can, not struggling against Mercy and scrambling into the exosuit Mercy all but tosses her at. Thank the gods she wore jeans today. Springer holds on tight, his servos groaning in protest as all of the air rushes out of the shuttle. It's all he can do just to hold on to Mercy to keep the three of them from flying out the nearest breach. Hot Spot keeps firing the rail weapons on his side. "There are too many of them." He growls and says, "Just means there are more to shoot at." He says, "Can we time the missile batteries we have to explode at a prearranged distance? Maybe we can catch the targets in the explosion?" Countdown boards the ship from Cybertron System. Groove shrugs. "Sounds like a great plan, but my turret just went dead!" Hound looks at the viewscreen. Red Cassette (Grand Slam), being plugged in, replies to Hot Spot first, "Not fast enough, I don't think, but I'll see what I can do." Hardstrike struggles towards Overpass, and reaches out a hand, trying to use his size to anchor agianst the vacuum. He reaches out a hand to the other autobot, hoping he can grab it and get pulled back in.... Fastback oofs! as she's sent toppling out of her seat thanks to Overpass. Her console rendered useless by the first hit, the second blowing it away completely. With an audible groan, she clambers to her feet amongst the debris. It's somewhat surprising then to see Overpass hanging on to the shuttle's frame by a single hand... Mercy does her best not to cram the human into the suit, prays she's comfortable enough, and slams the thing closed. The gap sucks at them all, but Mercy anchors Andi's Suit and hopes Springer can keep a hold of her. "Great, just great." Crankshaft states as he sees Blaster flying. The orange Autobot mutters and releases the restrains securing him to his own chair. His optics squint for a moment as he looks at Jazz. "Need help dragging him in?" he calls out to the other Autobot, gesturing at Blaster with one hand while with the other he keeps his hold on the seat he was at before. The hapless Autobot shuttle survives the first barrage of missiles via good sharpshooting and Hound's heroic attempts of evasion. However Transformer shuttles are many things, but agile is not one of them. Another volly hits the shields and cracks them. The Autobot ship slowly turns towards the planet as gravity takes its toll... any last 'I Love You's before the ship goes down? Overpass reaches out to the offered hand, locking on -- and then, from the corner of his optics he sees a fourth barrage headed towards the same spot. He can't hang on and do something about it at the same time, so, with a simple nod to Hardstrike, he lets go, swinging out his rifle immediately and taking aim at the missiles, blowing them to smithereens shot after shot on his descent. Overpass soon fades out of view, as well do the once-threatening missiles... Red Cassette (Grand Slam) says, "Oh screw this..." he mutters as he ejects from the console, "Total loss, the systems are shutting down left and right, that last salvo wasted the shields and at this point, it's only a matter of a few moments before engines fail." The little red tape expands and contorts into a red tank with chrome weaponry. It's Grand Slam! Hound shouts, "EVERYBODY, get reday for a crash landing! Hot Spot, try to open me a hole in this wall of missiles!" The Autobot starts to hit buttons and pulls few levers on his console. The damaged Golden Age executes a slow turns and starts to heads right for the planet. Hot Spot hits the fire button one last time as the weapons power down, "Slag!" He punches the console, "This isn't the way I want to go!" He looks at Groove and First Aid, he salutes his comrades in arms saying, "Well guys, just incase this is it, it's been great serving with you, from Angorahex, till now. It's been a blast." "Great," Twin Twist mutters as his form collides with another wall. "Ngh! Ah'm gittin' ignored an', ah'm gittin shot at, and ah can't do a ting about it!" The jerks and jinks of the shuttle force the Jumpstarter to slam against the wall behind him and forward again. "Aww, c'mon! Dis is cruel an' unusual punishment! Ow!" Andi Lassiter realizes after the initial scramble that the suit she's climbed into isn't an exo-suit -- too small. But it's an EVA suit, good enough if it's not already been compromised. Okay, these things she's NEVER used. She has to fumble to find the oxygen controls, almost on the verge of blacking out before she finds them. She's too glad to be breathing again to realize the shuttle is falling. The suit is still secured in its storage bin, and she struggles to get free so she's not in a metal coffin of sorts when they hit the ground. Hardstrike is forced to pull away, lest he risk being sucked into the void himself. He mutters an apology, and braces for the coming impact of the crash...or more missiles. Either way, a fiery death.... Groove says, "Wildest ride you could ask for....but could we maybe leave out the certain death part?" Mercy braces as she is told to, also bracing Andi and looking back to make sure Springer is equally as braced and bracing and... Oh, hell. How confusing. Firming her resolve, she snaps back at Hot Spot, "Don't start that! We'll get through this...Just like everything else!" Twin Twist, mech pinball. As the little red tape ejects from the slot, expanding in transformation, it becomes apparent that Grand Slam didn't calculate on one thing... the breach in the wall not far from him. As he's arching through the air he's sucked out through the opening. That can't be good. Springer holds on tight to Mercy and Andi. "And remember flying is still the safest way to travel." He locks his legs around the nearest chair for the final plunge. Fastback makes a useless grab for Overpass as he disappears from sight, muttering a silent curse about these over-heroic types getting themselves killed all the time. With no station of her own left, she joins Hound at the helm. "Get us on a heading of zero-one-five, or as close to as you can. It'll minimise the chanecs of burning up before we hit the ground." Grand Slam disembarks from the Golden Age. Andi Lassiter finally gets a chance to look around and realizes things are dire. She sees Twin Twist complaining up a storm and yells as loudly as she can, hoping her voice will be heard thru the suit as she has no idea how to turn on the radio, "Twin Twist! Transform and use your drills to anchor yourself to the wall!" "No room..!" Twin Twist grunts as he keeps bouncing, back and forth, in the corridor. "..ta flip mah legs!" Thud! "..ow!" Groove winces. "Oh, that's a good reason not to be a jumpstarter right there....can't you, like...sit on them, or something?" Hound is piloting to shuttle in between the missiles, the shuttle slowly heads towards the memorial spaceport when an other missile hits the engines. Hound shouts, "Oh Oh I completly lost the control of the shuttle, I can't land it we're gonna crash!!!!" Slowly, the Golden Age falls towards Cybertron's surface. The shuttle get more speed and arrives over the Istoral trench where it crash onto the ground within a huge explosion! Andi Lassiter curses softly, then thinks of something else, looking at both Springer and Mercy, as they're the ones holding on to her. Countdown is half awake. He seems to try to look around. After the trouble he's been in, he remains silent. He'd probably do something stupid too if he was trying to help. He clutches his seat and remains ever so silent. Twin Twist whines, "Ah hate space!" Fastback yells, "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Hardstrike blinks, " I can't believe I'm doing this..." he mutters, and lets himself slide towards the back during one of the many maneuvers...controlled or otherwise. He waits to time it just right, before grabbing at Twin Twist's leg as he tumbles. Should he succeed, the small jumpstarter will be slammed up agianst the wall and held there until he's able to regain equilibrium... Hardstrike misses Twin Twist with his grasp attack. Blaster is still uncon, so his ability to brace for impact is round about the no chance in hell mark. Sunstreaker boards the ship from Cybertron System. Hot Spot gets a great idea at this time, seconds before the shuttle hits. Merge to defensor and save the ship from doom. It was a good plan until the ship crashes, oh well. Hot Spot goes flying forward, his face brave the entire time till he crunches against the windshield cracking it even more than it probably already is. Then goes flying back from the whiplash effect. Weeeee! Groove uses the inactive gun turret to brace, sorta. Hopefully the webbing will keep him from bouncing around too badly, but it's still gonna -hurt-. Andi Lassiter says hastily, "Mercy, chest compartment! THis suit's not built to take damage!" She's hoping she's comprehensible, and that the femme isn't too small for her to hide inside like she did with First Aid years ago. Mercy is being held in place by Springer, and in return is holding Andi in her Exo-Suit. She looks at Andi, then down, and then opens up her chest compartment. "Fold up as small as you can," she tells Andi hastily. Twin Twist shoots the opportunist Hardstrike a look. "..don'chew even tink 'bout dat." Springer, having his back to the front of the ship, takes the full brunt of inertia as the seat his legs are locked around loses its integrity and snaps free. He holds onto Mercy (and possibly Andi depending on whether she got inside Mercy or not) as they are catapulted forward. "Omph!" is all Springer can say as the impact occurs, but manages to keep flex his arms a bit to soften the impact of Mercy against his chest. Hardstrike eyes Twin Twist, as he misses, " Fine. Get tossed around. " Fastback, in keeping with her own command, braces as best she can for the imminent impact. Although with much of the shuttle blown to pieces, there's not much to hang on to up front. A small pipe running overhead is about as good as she can find at such short notice, clasping it tightly in her hand. Sunstreaker is holding onto some safety railing near Springer and Mercy, this would have NEVER happened if HE was piloting the shuttle! What's good enough for Optimus Pruime is good enough for everyone! He looks over to Mercy, "My offer from earlier is still on the tabl-yaaah!" He goes flying forwards. Andi Lassiter scrambles into Mercy's chest compartment, in her haste using fuel lines and other conduits as handholds...hope she doesn't pull any loose. She wedges herself into an empty space barely big enough to hold her in her EVA suit. Hardstrike just barely gets that comment off before the crash causes him to lose his hold...and he goes flying smacking into a piece of equipment and passing out... The Golden Age travels onward to Istoral Trench. Mercy does the best she can as Springer slams into her to scoop up Andi further and toss her into her chest compartment. Then she faceplants into the hull, having used her hands to help Andi. "Oomph! Ugh..tickles," she mutters." Crankshaft returns to his seat, once more muttering, this time his words don't really come through. As he does this, he trips and almost falls on his face. Trying to move around a ship that is about to crash, not a healthy thing. He's about to go back to his seat finally, when the shuttle just crashes, the orange Autobot becomes an orange basketball then. Jazz is knocked out as he is flung into the console during the crash. Hound didn't have the time to put his belt on. So when the shuttle crash into the trench he hits to console. There is an explosion. Hound's armor is shattered and the Autobot falls unconscious...desactiveted... Springer, one optic closed streches his neck servos for a moment before looking down at Mercy. "Are you ok?" Hot Spot ends up far in the back of the ship. His optics are dim as a large gash can be seen running from one shoulder and down across his chest. Internals spark as a few squirts of some fluid fly out from a ruptured hose every once in a while. Yep, he's down for a bit. Mercy presses her hands against the hull and pushes herself up, looking around. She suffered little more than a scratch due to Springer's care. "Fine, fine. The rest?" She wiggles, not a very graceful thing considering her size, and tries to look around. "Oh, no... Are we stable?" she calls out to anyone, anyone at all. She attempts to wriggle free of Springer. "First Aid? Are you active?" Countdown doesn't have his seat belt on either and is launched off the seat. He tries to hold on to something, but doesn't. His body crashes down, shattering several great parts, like his left optic, his left side. He leaks mech fluid from the damages. His lights are dimming. Part of his right arm is falling off. Fastback's handhold proves to be inadequate for such an impact, the collision's force prising the pipe from her grip and sending her crashing forward. Smashing through the shuttle's viewscreen (And shattering it, obviously) the femme is catapulted out of the shuttle in a nasty-looking way. Fastback disembarks from the Golden Age. Andi Lassiter disembarks from the Golden Age. Mercy takes Andi Lassiter. To be continued...
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