"Tangled Webs & Muddle"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC:

I don't know if it's even possible for a Transformer to cry, I don't care if they can't cause it's happening, sue me.

I think they can. Tigatron had shed a tear in the show, granted he was in beast mode (if that makes a difference). I have had OP cry already and I believe a few others have as well, so you're good. ))

"You're right, I do leave in constant fear but it of what you'll do if I tell you what... I... It did."

Watching Saber suddenly break down, almost taken aback by this emotional state she was showing because she had always put herself in seclusion or acted tough, Optimus wrapped his arms around her to comfort her in a hug. His spark, recently full of pain and anger, suddenly melted like butter. "Whatever it did, Saber-Fang, I can't and won't punish you or exile you," he said softly in their embrace. "You're part of this team. I just wish you would tell me so I can understand more because I don't know everything I'm up against. I wish I could ease your suffering." Unraveling his arms Primal looked at her and figured now was as good a time as any to see what the bat had to say.

"I'm going to speak with Sonar alone. If you feel the need to say something to me at any time, just call through my communication link." Primal gave her a small but warm smile of assurance, patting her shoulder gently before turning away and walking into the brig. If she chose to, she could observe the video feed from Sonar's cell but it didn't have audio, that way anything he said wouldn't be able to upset her and deliberately bring out the beast. If not, he had left her to her duties.

Keeping everything secured and taking the proper precautions, Optimus wielded one of his maces and stepped inside of Sonar's cell, closing it behind him. He didn't say a word. The Maximal leader tried intimidating the Predacon with silence while he stood with his back against the wall and slowly ran his other hand over the sphere end of his mace and down its pole, examining it with an ominous desire in his orange optics before he shifted his gaze at Sonar.

-----

"He is no soldier, nor Predacon"

Aye, I'm no soldier.. but it doesn't mean I don't know how ta use a fire hose either. You get attacked alot when yer part of the support.. The Predacons should consider themselves lucky though.. Because they don't taste good either..

Rattrap watched Ironclaw make his way down from the cave's crest, surprised that he finally spoke. "Most of us ain't soldiers," he reminded the badger and pointed out to Landslide at the same time. "Not even Optimus. But we're resourceful and resilient."

Well, lets get going so you can take me to yer leader.. My leader..er.. you get the idea.. If ya need a lift, climb on.

"Eh, normally I'd take a free ride in a sparkbeat but, no offense, big guy, I don't get 'em with strangers." He thought for a moment as he watched the new bot transform to his impressive vehicle mode and picked up the pod with his horns. "Unless I'm unconscious. Or dead. ...I haven't had the best flights around 'ere, so I prefer keepin' my feet on the ground, if ya know what I'm sayin'."

"Airazor, wanna escort this guy back ta base? I'll call in ahead of time," the Spy said to the peregrine in the air.

"Axalon, dis is Rattrap. Ya read me?" He hoped they were close enough now for radio transmission.

Relieved to finally hear Rattrap's voice again, Rhinox didn't hesitate to answer him. "Loud and clear, Rattrap. Are you still on your way? Optimus returned some time ago."

"Aw, you weren't worried about me, were ya, Big Green?" Rattrap smirked. "Yeah, we had ta stop along the way an' pick up a hitchhiker. Airazor'll be there soon with 'im."

Rhinox turned puzzled and curious. A hitchhiker? Why couldn't his short friend just be straightforward? Had they managed to find another pod? Another Maximal? They sure could use something positive today. "As a matter of fact, I was concerned for your entire team. This day has turned into a rather big blow for us... again..."

"What's that supposed ta mean? Are you sayin'-"

"I'll explain when you get here," Rhinox interrupted him. "Don't doddle. Hurry back now."

"Ooookay... Be back soon. Rattrap out." He started to fear the worst. Had they lost someone else? Who? What happened? Sighing, he reverted back to his dragster mode and glanced at the others.

"C'mon, let's get back to the base," he told the group and started rolling out with his back wobbly and squeaky wheel.

[Alak]

Orcariner eyed Whitegrazer as she shrugged off his concerns. However, since there was no easy way to ask her once more about her well-being, the giant chose to leave it alone. After all, she was a tough Maximal who survived many battles. Should she ever need help, he was sure that she would be open to ask for it.

"The plan sounds good, we should probably-"

He stopped short of completing his train of thought as something tried to break through his radio. It was probably the Maximal base trying to communicate with him again.

"Hold on, the Axalon is trying to reach me. You two begin with the set-up, but don't provoke these Preds into attacking you. We don't know why they're here or what equipment they've brought with them, so think of this as their home turf. My earlier message probably didn't go through, so I'll be flying back out of this zone to establish a clearer communications line."

A compartment in his chest opened and Orcariner pulled out one of his motion sensor devices. Handing the sphere to Aurora, he explained its function.

"If something goes wrong, don't bother radioing me because the energon radiation coming out of this mountain won't allow a successful transmission. Just toss this motion sensor device to the ground as hard as you can, and it'll automatically activate itself. If I see it go online through my scanners, I'll immediately come back for you two."

He gave a reassuring look to the tiny fuzor.

"You have my word."

Turning around, Orcariner took a few long strides before jumping into the air and transforming into his helicopter mode. His tail split open in two, revealing the primary jet engine which thrusted him away from his two Maximal companions. He hoped that the time given to them to prepare for a Predacon attack would be sufficient enough to even the odds. They were outnumbered and outgunned; two factors that Orcariner was not fond of. However, both Whitegrazer and Aurora were intelligent individuals, and he trusted them enough to play it smart and stay alive long enough for him to make his return.

System: Now clear of extraneous radio interference.

"Orcariner to Axalon. I repeat, this is Maximal unit Orcariner reporting field status to home base. Do you read me?"

He wished the original message that his receiver attempted to pick up was more than just a burst of static. It would help knowing exactly who was trying to communicate with him so that he would call them back by name.

"We've discovered a Predacon presence in the mountain range. Suspect that they're mining for energon. It's a vein substantial enough to interfere with our radios, and it's quite possible that we'll be engaging them soon enough. Whitegrazer has detected at least four active units inside our target zone. We are outnumbered and outgunned. Requesting back-up if possible. Do you copy?"

Orcariner remained hovering in the sky. His optics darted towards the mountain from which he just flew from, still feeling a bit of worry for his comrades.

[Blackrosefencer]

OOC:

Sorry for the wait. I know I said I'd post Sunday, but quality time with the boy came first and with the WWE pay per view on TV that night, I was out late and then Monday, my car was being repaired. Furthermore, this took a lot of research for the Dinobot section....had to look back at one of Blazemane's posts for him to see if he had followed the cannon storyline as far as where Dinobot hid the disks.

Also, maybe someone can clear this up......when did Dinobot give the golden disk to Rhinox? In "Maximal No More" he tells Megatron he gave the disk to Rhinox to study, but we never see him do this. But Rhinox definitely has it because in the next episode Megatron steals it back from him. So....when did Rhinox get the disk?? Did Dinobot give it to him after he gave the other back or before hand? The reason I ask is because at the end of "Maximal No More," Dinobot tells Optimus that he has something important to talk with him about. If he's talking about the disk, then did he lie to Megatron about the whereabouts of the disk intending to keep it for himself and not give it back...and then, once he decided against defecting, did he decide it would be best to let Rhinox see it?? Or did they discuss something else??

Also, still waiting on Buster and Scaleblade before I can post for Inferno.

BIC:

Blackarachnia finally pulled her hand from behind her back and revealed what she held in her hand. She grabbed a piece of energon and put it within the claws of the knife she was carrying. Arachnitron took a step towards her with a quiet gasp of surprise. What did she expect to do?

"Either terminate the link between us or I will crack this cube." She squeezed the cube a bit to show she met business, "You know what happens if I do that, do you? I don't think you want yourself fried!"

Arachnitron raised her energon pistol and aimed at the widow. "Blackarachnia!" she shouted in warning.

The other she-spider turned her gaze towards Arachnitron and raised her own weapon.

"I warn you to stay out of this." The next words came out like vermin, "Don't try anything funny."

Arachnitron lowered her weapon at Blackarachnia's request, but Tarantulas spoke up.

"You don't have the nerve. Besides, I can stop you with a single thought."

Without turning around to face her, Tarantulas said to Arachnitron "Ignore her my dear, she's bluffing, she loves herself too dearly to snuff her spark alone in a cave, forgotten and unmourned like that fool Scorponok."

Arachnitron nodded in compliance and raised her pistol again.

"Put the knife down, Blackarachnia," Arachnitron ordered her with a small quiver in her voice. She tried to sound threatening, but she hesitated at shooting her weapon. If she shot Blackarachnia, what would she do? Would she put the energon cube in the line of fire and destroy them all? Blackarachnia was so unpredictable...and right now, she was a loose cannon. One wrong move and she could go off. Tarantulas seemed pretty sure that Blackarachnia wouldn't risk her life, but Arachnitron wasn't so sure. She didn't want to die, but she wanted even less to live without Tarantulas. Who would fix her inhibitor chip if it ever malfunctioned again? She couldn't afford to lose him.

Not wanting to shoot Blackarachnia and risk having her blow up the entire cave, she instead fired her energon pistol at the cave just a few inches above her head purposely missing Blackarachnia.

"That was a warning shot," she felt the need to explain. "Drop the energon or next time, I won't miss." Arachnitron hoped that Blackarachnia would see reason and put the knife and the energon down. She'd give Blackarachnia the chance to do the right thing, but if Tarantulas ordered her to shoot, Arachnitron wouldn't hesitate again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinobot listened intently for Optimus' response to his confession.

"Everyone made it back safely," he pointed out to him, implying that he did in fact do his job. "What happened to Aerostriker was out of your control, Dinobot. Rationalize it any way you want, but lives do NOT have to be taken. The only one to blame is the one who murdered him. And we'll find out who that was soon enough."

Perhaps you are correct," Dinobot conceded.

"You may be dismissed," he granted the Maximal soldier who was probably eager to avoid any speeches.

"I am grateful for your understanding," Dinobot responded. He dismissed himself with a nod of recognition towards the others on the bridge. He then retreated quietly to his quarters.

Truth be told, Dinobot wasn't particularly fond of the Maximal, Aerostriker. He didn't dislike him either....theirs had been a working relationship....nothing more, nothing less.

Dinobot sat in front of his computer console and brought his research up on the screen. He sighed heavily. What if he hadn't been so wrapped up in fighting Terrorsaur? Would that have provided a means of escape for the other Maximals...Aerostriker included? Or was Aerostriker's death, as Optimus concluded, truly out of his control? Was it written down somewhere in the universe that Aerostriker was to die that day? If he had saved Aerostriker in the battle, would it have been in vain....would something else just have killed him on the way back to base?

Dinobot pulled the other golden disk from his subspace and stared at it intently. The questions Dinobot had about fate flooded his mind. Again he wondered if he ought to take a peek at the disk in his possession just to find the answers to his questions. Just one quick peek...perhaps at his own death or perhaps at the events of the next solar day just to see if they play out the same as on the disk. But, did he really want to know?

For the better part of his life, Dinobot had been confident and sure-footed. His current confusion and uncertainty made him uneasy. He hated not knowing the answer to his questions and he hated not being able to make a decision on the matter of his faction. He had come to the Maximals out of anger. He had thought that Megatron had lead them to the wrong place. He had believed that his stupidity would be the end of the Predacons and far be it from him to side with the losing team. But now, all of that changed. Once the Vok had revealed the second moon to be a weapon and not a satellite, it was clear that they were on Earth after all. Which meant that Megatron could carry out his mission of destroying the future.

But....maybe the tyrant hadn't put two and two together yet. Maybe he still thought they were not on Earth?

Dinobot quickly downloaded the contents of the golden disk on to his computer to put them into his files. Then, he put the disk back into his subspace.

"Computer, confirm known Predacon installations," Dinobot commanded.

"CONFIRMING KNOWN PREDACON INSTALLATIONS." The computer spit back at him.

On the screen, the computer showed him a map of the Predacon base and the surrounding area. A few little blue dots showed up. He compared them with the image on the outside of the golden disk. It appeared that Megatron was trying to replicate the image on the disk, but he only had a small portion of the symbol completed.

"Hmmm," the raptor mused aloud. "Perhaps now that Megatron no longer has the disks, he will be forced to put a stop to his plans. I will have to watch them carefully." He let out another sigh. "But what to do with the disk in my possession? Do I dare reveal my findings to the Maximals?"

Dinobot had to consider this carefully. His interest in the disks may appear suspicious to some of the Maximals....on the other hand, Rhinox may have access to files and other information that Dinobot did not. This could help in his analysis and understanding of the disk and the information on it. It could also help the Maximals be more prepared for Megatron's plans....but did he want them to be prepared? Did he want Megatron to succeed or to fail?

"Am I willing to betray my Predacon heritage for these transmetal Maximals?"

[Alak]

((OOC: Oh snap, we're waiting on Buster? Lemme go find him real quick...))

((OOC 2: Alrighty, sorry about that. I just assumed that he was done for this episode with the fight being over and all. Buster and Manterror flying off to a happy ending and such.))

BIC:

While Buster was not expecting to be swept up from the ground, he was very thankful for the fact that Manterror had carried him to safety. Seeing an unbelievably muscular ape firing off anti-air shells did not exactly inspire confidence in the llama. As soon as they approached the Predacon base, his eyes widened in curiosity at the molten lava that traveled underneath the warship. He really wished he had wings.

"Inferno to Buster. Come see me in the command room at once at the Royalty's request!"

"Sure thing, bossman!"

Waiting for the large mantis to set him down, Buster galloped into the ship. It was really dark and his nightvision was non-existent. The llama crashed into a lot of walls and slipped into a lot of empty rooms, but he finally managed to make his way to the menacing fire ant.

"What's up?"

((OOC 3: Hopefully that should be a speedy catch-up so keep the game moving. Sorry if I missed out anything.))

[Night-Hunter]

((OOC: I must have missed it or skimmed over it. I can see Optimus playing whack a mole with Sonar's head.))

"What ever it did, Saber-Fang, I can't and won't punish or exile you."

Hearing that eased the fear in her spark, but she still feared what he would think if he found out that she had slaughtered innocent Maximals in the past.

"You're part of this team. I just wish you would tell me so I can understand more because I don't know everything I'm up against. I wish I could use your suffering."

She met his gaze when he broke the embrace, having him hold her like that made her realize that he could be trusted. Possibly Rhinox and Whitegrazer as well, all in good time.

"I'm going to speak with Sonar alone. If you feel the need to say something to me at any time, just call through my communication line."

She gave a small nod and gave small smile of her own then watched him enter the brig.

Watch yourself in there, Optimus. Sonar will try to get inside your head, don't let him. She sliently warned before heading to her quarters to gather her thoughts.

* * *

Sonar's ear twitched when the door to his cell opened. He didn't turn around, he remained in a sitting position with his back towards his guest. He sent out a small wave of sound, it bounced off the wall infront of him to show who was standing behind him.

He smiled when he saw that it was Primal, be it a Transmetal version.

"Hitting me with your weapon would prove to be counter productive. You wish to hear what I have to say, no? Other wise you wouldn't have bothered coming to see me."

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC:

I can see Optimus playing whack a mole with Sonar's head.

I don't remember the details, Blackrose. I'd have to watch the episodes again. Or you could just do things your way at your leisure since most of us aren't following the script anyway. I do love what you're doing with Dinobot.

Also.. Orcariner is asking for Reinforcements.. who would Primal send? So far most the Maximals are injured other then Dinobot and Landslide.. and Dinobot isn't really in the mental state to shove off into another battle.

It would certainly help if Warwulf would come back and post with Silverbolt again but since I can't rely on that, I will likely send Rhinox; Saber-Fang or Dinobot can take over the command center while OP slaps Sonar around. I haven't been able to play with Rhinox in the field yet so it should be interesting. It would also help if we stopped losing half of the Maximals because players keep disappearing due to RL stuffs. Le sigh. I don't want to send Landslide because he just joined and has no idea what's going on. It would be unwise to send an inexperienced newbie into an unusual situation like that one. OP could send Airazor, too, but WorpeX has been MIA for a little while now. I want to make sure characters can be reliable in order to keep the game rolling. ))

BIC:

"Orcariner to Axalon. I repeat, this is Maximal unit Orcariner reporting field status to home base. Do you read me?" "We've discovered a Predacon presence in the mountain range. Suspect that they're mining for energon. It's a vein substantial enough to interfere with our radios, and it's quite possible that we'll be engaging them soon enough. Whitegrazer has detected at least four active units inside our target zone. We are outnumbered and outgunned. Requesting back-up if possible. Do you copy?"

Thank the Matrix, the science engineer finally heard Orcariner's voice! "Copy that, Orcariner. This is Rhinox. Standby while I report your status to Optimus."

"Optimus, I've made contact with Orcariner," Big Green called through his comm. link. "He and his team have stumbled upon some kind of Predacon operation in the mountains involving energon. He's requesting extra support. What are your instructions?"

Predacons and energon? Although Optimus wanted to avoid more battles since things were getting worse, he was certain Whitegrazer knew who they were dealing with. Why make it so easy for them to gain more and more of the upper hand? But with Dinobot and Saber-Fang both emotionally unstable at the moment, he thought it best to send his old friend instead. "I'm afraid I can't spare anyone else but you, Rhinox, so provide them with back-up. It's time we start cutting off the Predacons at the source of their greed and power."

The leader's last statement kind of caught Rhinox off guard but perhaps it was just for show since he was in Sonar's presence. Or perhaps he was serious in trying to take a different turn in this war. Rhinox couldn't decipher his tone but that wasn't entirely a surprise after having just lost another Maximal. "Understood. Rhinox out."

"Saber-Fang, report back to the bridge to cover the scanners and communications," the rhinoceros called over her comm. link. "I'm departing to give Orcariner's team some offense."

"Orcariner, I'm on my way," was all Rhinox said to him, but it was in a confident and almost eager tone. It had been quite some time since he had a stroll with the earth under his feet and the sweet smell of flowers and water wafting on the breeze. After being stuck inside the base this long, he was looking forward to the outdoors, even if it meant participating in a battle. Hopefully it wouldn't come to any serious injuries. Without waiting for Saber to arrive, Rhinox stepped on to the platform which lowered him outside. Transforming to beast mode, the large mammal took off at a gallop in Orcariner's team's direction.

Meanwhile, back with the Maximals' prisoner...

"Hitting me with your weapon would prove to be counter productive. You wish to hear what I have to say, no? Other wise you wouldn't have bothered coming to see me."

"What makes you think I want to waste my time listening to you?" Primal asked Sonar in a cold and firm voice while examining his mace again since the Predacon opted to rudely keep his back toward him. "I've lost too many comrades under my command because of this war that Megatron started and the way he encourages his Predacons to continue slaughtering my crew. I've even been murdered. So I think it's time I return the favor. A life for a life, don't you agree, Sonar?" Nightmist, Valkyrie, Icebreaker, himself and most recently Aerostriker had all lost their lives in these "beast wars", adding so much pain and anguish to his Maximals, that didn't have to be happening at all if not for Megatron's psychotic ambitions. Even Glowstick, a Predacon, had been killed by Megatron's hands. And let's not forget all the protoforms the Preds had stolen from the Maximals. "I have a lot of catching up to do but I might as well start with you while I have you here." His expression was unreadable, and Optimus didn't move from his position. Yet. He waited for the bat's reaction. It certainly was not the Maximal Commander's normal approach but being killed and miraculously coming back had its advantages despite how emotional and traumatizing the experience was. Sonar was all alone here. No back-up was coming to aid him, assuming any of the Preds had even noticed him missing. Megatron wasn't there to distract Primal. No Maximals were around to stop their leader. It was just the two of them. Did it frighten the bat...?

[Mystrea]

(I wish Ironclaw was present during this altercation between Optimus and Sonar, so good)

[Night-Hunter]

"Saber-Fang, report back to the bridge to cover the scanners and communications. I'm departing to give Orcariner's team some offence."

Saber stopped and put two.fingers over her right audio. "I'm on my way."

* * *

"What makes you think I want to waste my time listening to you?"

Sonar chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I've lost to many comrades under my command of this war that Megatron started."

"Just how many Maximals do you think Saber killed before this war even started? What she did makes Megatron look like an amateur." Sonar said briefly looking over his shoulder.

"And the way he encourages his Predacons to continue slaughter and my crew. I've even been murdered."

Well, what do you expect? Predacons are built for killing and we tend to enjoy it. Sonar thought rolling his eyes.

"So I think it's time I return the favor. A life for a life, don't you agree, Sonar?"

Slowly, so not to accidentally provoke the maximal into bashing him in the head, Sonar rose to his feet and turned to face the Maximal commander. He simply smiled and crossed his arms.

"I have a lot of catching up to do but I might as well start with you while I have you here."

Sonar smirked a little, showing a little bit of his sharp teeth. "What did you have in mind?"

[Phoenix]

"Hold on, the Axalon is trying to reach me. You two begin with the set-up, but don't provoke these Preds into attacking you. We don't know why they're here or what equipment they've brought with them, so think of this as their home turf. My earlier message probably didn't go through, so I'll be flying back out of this zone to establish a clearer communications line. If something goes wrong, don't bother radioing me because the energon radiation coming out of this mountain won't allow a successful transmission. Just toss this motion sensor device to the ground as hard as you can, and it'll automatically activate itself. If I see it go online through my scanners, I'll immediately come back for you two."

Albeit still in ermine form, Aurora stood up on her hind legs as Orcariner handed her his beacon, carefully holding it in her clawed grip as the transmetalized whale explained how to work it.

"Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly, even if it may not have looked quite as intended in this mode, "We'll be fine. It'll take way more than some spiders to stop a Maximal.. let alone two of us!" She attempted to sound brave and confident, not wanting to show off as weak around the others. Not now, during one of very few field missions she'd been allowed to attend. The other Maximals counted on them to put a stop to whatever these creepy bugs were up to. And rest assured if Tarantulas was involved, it had to be no good.

"You have my word."

The little fuzor just watched as the much larger transmetal hurried off to attempt to make a transmission to the rest of the Maximals, his last words before he left lingering in her head for a few moments. Optimus had said something very similar to her just before he died.. Although he had someone managed to return to them, those feelings of helplessness and despair that she had felt that moment she believed he was never coming back, were still there.. buried deep within. Like a lingering nightmare. Never again would she allow those feelings to overwhelm her the way they had.

With a sigh she packed the tracking beacon away and looked at Whitegrazer.

"Come on. If we can get a little closer, I may be able to connect with whatever computer equipment they have at their disposal. That might give us an idea of what's going. As well as provide an opportunity to stop their progress."

She then trotted off in the direction of the cave, not exactly hurrying but she was trying to remain stealthy as not to arouse suspicion.

Meanwhile Nemesis had watched most of the other Predacons gather within the base when she decided it was time to hear what the old commander had to say, no matter how much she detested that awful stuffiness in their volcanic surroundings. Perhaps, with any luck, something would occur to force them to relocate.

She transformed back to robot form, walking the last few steps until she was inside. The volcanic stench overwhelmed her olfactory sensors but she fought the urge to simply walk out of there. Megatron was waiting, the not uncommon look of annoyance detectable on his face. Nemesis refrained from speaking for now, merely crossing her arms and folding her wings back.

On a hill overlooking the waterfalls where the Axalon had conveniently come to a stop, a figure emerged from the wooden background. The male's armor appeared worn, scratched, and covered in dirt no doubt accumulated from his long journey, his face scarred to show for his many battles, a slight limp noticeable as he moved. He did not look young, even though his exact age was indeterminable. Decades of war had been known to age someone prematurely. And yet he carried himself with pride and honor, a look of relentless determination present on his features. It was difficult to conclude what the male's vehicular mode was based on his robot form, but it definitely looked Cybertronian in nature.

He gazed upon his destination for a long moment before slinking back into the shadows from which he had emerged from, his lips speaking a single name before he disappeared completely from view.

"Optimus. "

[NaitoKage]

"Eh, normally I'd take a free ride in a sparkbeat but, no offense, big guy, I don't get 'em with strangers." "Unless I'm unconscious. Or dead. ...I haven't had the best flights around 'ere, so I prefer keepin' my feet on the ground, if ya know what I'm sayin'."

Landslide shrugged Can't blame ya there lad.

Landslide's engines kicked in sending out four separate jets of thrust into the ground, scorching the earth and blowing up some dust as he took off into the sky, climbing in altitude while following Airazor, he continued to climb, until he could see the Axalon bellow Ah, there's that base he was talking about.. Bit of a wreck.. but that makes sense.

He then noticed as the Rhino was rushing off from the direction of the Axalon else where Seems they're busy. he muttered to himself, then started making his descent onto the Maximal base, moving to the back of Axalon as he came down for a landing.

After landing, he rolled into the hanger of the axalon, carefully unloading the stasis pod full of energon cubes, then transformed to robot mode looking around. Hrm.. bit of a mess this place is.. he spoke to himself as he looked over the patched up gigantic CR chamber, a heavily damaged and seemingly scrapped transport with alot of peices missing off it at this point, as well as burn marks from gunshots of battle. This war Rattrap spoke of seemed to have had a heavy toll on the Maximals indeed..

[una]

"Hold on, the Axalon is trying to reach me. You two begin with the set-up, but don't provoke these Preds into attacking you. We don't know why they're here or what equipment they've brought with them, so think of this as their home turf. My earlier message probably didn't go through, so I'll be flying back out of this zone to establish a clearer communications line. If something goes wrong, don't bother radioing me because the energon radiation coming out of this mountain won't allow a successful transmission. Just toss this motion sensor device to the ground as hard as you can, and it'll automatically activate itself. If I see it go online through my scanners, I'll immediately come back for you two."

"Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly, even if it may not have looked quite as intended in this mode, "We'll be fine. It'll take way more than some spiders to stop a Maximal.. let alone two of us!"

Whitegrazer put a hand on Aurora's shoulder, "Yes, we will, Aurora. We will be fine. After all, we are not here to start a fight, but with Predacons here, we must do our best to protect ourselves." She smiled warmly at her then glanced at Orcariner, still wearing her smile, "You stay safe as well, Orcariner. I don't sense anymore Predacons besides the ones I have, but everything has weak points, you just watch yourself, okay?"

"Come on. If we can get a little closer, I may be able to connect with whatever computer equipment they have at their disposal. That might give us an idea of what's going. As well as provide an opportunity to stop their progress."

She then trotted off in the direction of the cave, not exactly hurrying but she was trying to remain stealthy as not to arouse suspicion.

She patted the Maximal ermine's shoulder and decided to follow her lead. After all, she was the expert in traps. Whitegrazer decided to lower herself to the desert sand like a snake. Big and stealthy didn't go hand in hand, but with grace and patience, she will do her very best to watch Aurora's back and kept herself from drawing any special attention to herself.

((OOC: LOL Whitegrazer crawling like a snake. XDDDDDD ))

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You don't have the nerve. Besides, I can stop you with a single thought."

"Maybe, but I bet the energon radiation would interfere with our link." She dared Tarantulas to try something, anything.

"Blackarachnia!" she shouted in warning. "Put the knife down, Blackarachnia,"

"Ignore her my dear, she's bluffing, she loves herself too dearly to snuff her spark alone in a cave, forgotten and unmourned like that fool Scorponok."

Blackarachnia glared at him, "You should know me better than that, Tarantulas." She would rather die than be his servant. If that is what it takes to beat Tarantulas, then she would do it. She wanted to survive, but if dying would get him out of her mind, so be it.

Though, she wondered how far Tarantulas was willingly to go to try and prove her wrong.

She didn't want to try anything yet. It was Tarantulas' move- Arachnitron had shot her weapon.

"That was a warning shot," she felt the need to explain. "Drop the energon or next time, I won't miss." Arachnitron hoped that Blackarachnia would see reason and put the knife and the energon down. She'd give Blackarachnia the chance to do the right thing, but if Tarantulas ordered her to shoot, Arachnitron wouldn't hesitate again.

"Try anything and I will squeeze this cube so hard that we will all be fried to bits." She stood her ground despite Arachnitron's warning. Then an idea popped into her head, "If you can convince Tarantulas to severe the link between us, I will put down my weapon and release my grip on this energon cube. I just want to have control on my own mind and body. You understand, right, Arachnitron?"

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Here's my post gang. I'm having trouble with the font color option this time, so one of Tarantulas' replies is left in white text, I tried to make it purple but it just wouldn't work so I just gave up XD. Hopefully this won't become a regular thing >_<

Una wrote: "Maybe, but I bet the energon radiation would interfere with our link." She dared Tarantulas to try something, anything.

"Heh. Will it? Lets test that theory" Tarantulas proclaimed confidently, bringing a hand to his forehead as he concentrated on their link, building up his mental might to telepathically put his wayward widow back in her place.

Una wrpte:
Blackarachnia glared at him, "You should know me better than that, Tarantulas." She would rather die than be his servant. If that is what it takes to beat Tarantulas, then she would do it. She wanted to survive, but if dying would get him out of her mind, so be it.

Tarantulas's optics darkened at that remark, the Tripredacus agent retorting "Little Spider, if you knew ME half as well as you believe, then you would know better than to cross me, Megatron himself would know better than to cross me...You are ensnared in my web and you will NEVER break free of it. I'll break you first...And enjoy every nanoklik of it."

Una wrote: "That was a warning shot," she felt the need to explain. "Drop the energon or next time, I won't miss." Arachnitron hoped that Blackarachnia would see reason and put the knife and the energon down. She'd give Blackarachnia the chance to do the right thing, but if Tarantulas ordered her to shoot, Arachnitron wouldn't hesitate again.



"Try anything and I will squeeze this cube so hard that we will all be fried to bits." She stood her ground despite Arachnitron's warning. Then an idea popped into her head, "If you can convince Tarantulas to severe the link between us, I will put down my weapon and release my grip on this energon cube. I just want to have control on my own mind and body. You understand, right, Arachnitron?"

He was pleased that Arachnitron had his back in this situation, but was angered by BA's attempt to sway his one loyal underling away from his control. This slave had tried to break free of its chain for the last time, she'd obey him or be destroyed, one way or the other.

"Arachnitron understands that you are putting our growing cabal against Megatron at risk for the sake of your own petty needs. She, myself, and even that two headed dunce of a fuzor knows we have more to gain working together than we do apart, and that we all stand to suffer if even one of us fails to get with the program. You're the only bug in my program Blackarachnia, its time you learned to follow it," Tarantulas threatened, unleashing the psychic power he'd been amassing this whole time, beating a simple message into her head over and over again "Release the cube & kneel before me," while also attacking her sensory subroutines, causing her to feel a growing level of pain for every moment she wasted resisting him.

"Submit Widow, I will not warn you twice" Tarantulas hissed, coldly, emotionlessly, his control seeping into her knifehand, loosening her grip bit by bit...

NaitoKage wrote: Umbra reached to his leg as a panel on it slid open, where he normally kept spare magazines of ammo or demo charges. He then pulled out what appeared to be a small set of goggles, though there were no lens on the front. A dial was visible on the side, with an array of small black circles along the entire front of the device.

Umbra turned the switch, then held up the goggles towards Megatron as the two lens inside lightup showing a strange monochrome view of the room These appear to be a type of echolocation device, allowing the user emit ultrasonic frequencies from a parametric speaker array and convert reflected soundwaves into a visual medium. It doesn't function as well as Sonar or even the Maximal whale's technology I'd imagine.. but should prevent such an issue as a maximal smokescreen in the future.

"Ah, a clever piece of technology indeed. I see no fault in placing it into your capable hands Umbra, Primus knows there are far less qualified candidates who could blunder across it one of these solar cycles and break it...Waspinator and Manterror come to mind. Consider it payment rendered for a job well done. You may go now...Oh, and if you happen to stumble across Sailback and the other one, Inferno's recruit, do hurry them along. It appears punctuality is lost on them, they'll need to learn it. Quickly" Megatron said darkly, turning his attention back to his new trophy as he pondered where to mount it, a pleasant distraction from his growing impatience with the new recruits.

[NaitoKage]

(Just to note on the typo, it's Scaleback, not Sailback. Though I'm not sure if Megatron is just having issues with remembering names, since he doesn't remember most the Maximal names either.*LOL*

As for Whitegrazer crawling like a Snake.. I think only I get that reference. Also new Metal gear comes out this month, but I'll probably wait on this one a bit.. but will probably get it because I have bought every other Metal gear game.. so many games.. 0_o )

"Ah, a clever piece of technology indeed. I see no fault in placing it into your capable hands Umbra, Primus knows there are far less qualified candidates who could blunder across it one of these solar cycles and break it...Waspinator and Manterror come to mind. Consider it payment rendered for a job well done. You may go now...Oh, and if you happen to stumble across Sailback and the other one, Inferno's recruit, do hurry them along. It appears punctuality is lost on them, they'll need to learn it. Quickly"

Umbra turned off the device and slide it away in his leg compartment, then gave a bow Thank you my lord, I shall notify them immediately.

Turning and exiting Megatron's quarters making his way past Nemesis, he made his way towards the bridge that Inferno was asking him to report to before. Upon finding Inferno, he glanced over Buster for a moment. A strange furry animal, he'd probably be overheating just as any of the others in this base, though what few weapons exposed seemed well maintained and even modified to an extent. It might be worth talking to the new recruit as well at some point.

Looking towards Inferno, he bowed Sorry for the late response, when you messaged me I had already returned to Lord Megatron for my mission report. Our Liege has requested your company to report to him, post haste. He seems interested in meeting our new arrival. He smiled warmly, then walked away, seeming to blend into the shadows of the dark ship as he made his way back towards his quarters.

_____________________

Meanwhile.. Quickstrike continued making progress on the pumping station, completely oblivious to the Predacons in other tunnels, as well as oblivious to the Maximals outside.

[Blackrosefencer]

((OOC 2: Alrighty, sorry about that. I just assumed that he was done for this episode with the fight being over and all. Buster and Manterror flying off to a happy ending and such.))

It's all good. We're still waiting on Wintersong with Scaleblade, but I guess we'll just move on without her.....

I'll leave Dinobot to stew for a bit....I think I'll have him give the alien copy of the golden disk to Rhinox when he comes back to base.....

@Darkspark: I usually don't use the codes for the colors. I usually write yellow or purple or white or red or whatever the color is I'm using.

Also, it appears that you didn't write [/color] at the end of your sentence....maybe that's why it wasn't working?

BIC:

After waiting for what seemed like mega-cycles, one of the recruits finally answered Inferno's hail.

"Sure thing, bossman!"

Inferno lifted his chin proudly at being referred to as "Bossman." Though, he would have to caution Buster against calling him that in front of the Royalty. He was proud to have earned the title, but he was unworthy of it. The Queen was the only one worthy of such an honor and surely, the Queen would disapprove.

Inferno decided to try and hail the other new recruit one more time while he waited for Buster to arrive.

"This is Sub-Commander Inferno," Inferno stated over the private connection to the new recruit's comm link hoping to use the small amount of authority he had to get the new recruit to come when called. "I have been entrusted with escorting you to The Royalty's chambers immediately, but we cannot wait for you any longer. Meet us at The Royalty's chambers or you will face his wrath. Inferno out."

He was a little annoyed at how the new recruit outright ignored the summons by their leader! The Royalty deserved more respect than that!

After a few moments, the llama appeared in front of him.

"What's up?"

Before he could answer, Umbra had arrived. Inferno nearly forgot that he had radioed the octopus as well.

"Sorry for the late response, when you messaged me I had already returned to Lord Megatron for my mission report. Our Liege has requested your company to report to him, post haste. He seems interested in meeting our new arrival."

"We are headed there right now," Inferno replied, but as he watched Umbra leave the bridge, he narrowed his optics angrily at his back. He was instructed to escort Umbra and the new recruits to Megatron! The nerve of that sea-faring creature to go over the sub-commander's head!

Grunting his disapproval, Inferno turned back to Buster. "This way," Inferno directed leading the new recruit to Megatron's chambers.

"The Royalty, our leader, would like to speak with you," Inferno explained as the two Predacons navigated the dark halls of the Darksyde. "He is very displeased with how you handled yourself on the battlefield. We are expected to wait to retreat until the command has been given. You left us outnumbered. The battle was far from over! We could still have won!"

Inferno looked Buster up and down as they walked. This creature was not worthy to stand in front of The Royalty. But, The Royalty, personally, had requested his presence....it was not Inferno's place to question his judgement. He had no choice but to obey his Queen.

Inferno stopped for a second outside of Megatron's quarters. He took a moment to visibly stand up straighter, lift his chin higher, and puff his chest out farther. He had to look his best for The Royalty. Inferno looked over at Buster.

"Prepare yourself to stand in front of Our Queen!" Inferno suggested prompting him to perform the same ritual to make himself more presentable to stand in front of their Queen.

(OOC: Will have him lead Buster into Megatron's quarters in the next post just to give Buster a chance to respond to things.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Maybe, but I bet the energon radiation would interfere with our link." Blackarachnia dared Tarantulas to try something, anything.

"Heh. Will it? Lets test that theory" Tarantulas proclaimed confidently, bringing a hand to his forehead as he concentrated on their link, building up his mental might to telepathically put his wayward widow back in her place.

Blackarachnia glared at him, "You should know me better than that, Tarantulas." She would rather die than be his servant. If that is what it takes to beat Tarantulas, then she would do it. She wanted to survive, but if dying would get him out of her mind, so be it.

Tarantulas's optics darkened at that remark, the Tripredacus agent retorting "Little Spider, if you knew ME half as well as you believe, then you would know better than to cross me, Megatron himself would know better than to cross me...You are ensnared in my web and you will NEVER break free of it. I'll break you first...And enjoy every nanoklik of it."

Arachnitron listened to their bickering intently waiting for the moment when Tarantulas would tell her to take the shot. But it didn't come. Tarantulas, instead, put a hand to his forehead and sent, what Arachnitron imagined, were waves of pain in Blackarachnia's direction.

A memory seared Arachnitron's mind. A memory of Cybertron. She remembered those days when the Predacon programming would send pain up and down her spine to get her to submit to her will. The Hybrid was often caught in the middle of the feud between the Predacon and Maximal with each one trying to bend and break her. The Maximal often used reasonable logic that made sense, but confused and frustrated The Hybrid. The Predacon, on the hand, often used force.

Blackarachnia directed her attention to Arachnitron in response to Arachnitron's threats.

"Try anything and I will squeeze this cube so hard that we will all be fried to bits." She stood her ground despite Arachnitron's warning. Then an idea popped into her head, "If you can convince Tarantulas to severe the link between us, I will put down my weapon and release my grip on this energon cube. I just want to have control on my own mind and body. You understand, right, Arachnitron?"

Arachnitron hesitated. To have control over her own mind and body.....wasn't that what the Hybrid had been searching for her whole life? The right to say no. The right to think for herself. Who was she to deny Blackarachnia those same things that Arachnitron was fighting so hard for herself.

Arachnitron slowly lowered her weapon and was about to acknowledge her understanding of the situation when Tarantulas spoke up.

"Arachnitron understands that you are putting our growing cabal against Megatron at risk for the sake of your own petty needs. She, myself, and even that two headed dunce of a fuzor knows we have more to gain working together than we do apart, and that we all stand to suffer if even one of us fails to get with the program. You're the only bug in my program Blackarachnia, its time you learned to follow it," Tarantulas threatened, unleashing the psychic power he'd been amassing this whole time, beating a simple message into her head over and over again "Release the cube & kneel before me," while also attacking her sensory subroutines, causing her to feel a growing level of pain for every moment she wasted resisting him.

"Submit Widow, I will not warn you twice" Tarantulas hissed, coldly, emotionlessly, his control seeping into her knifehand, loosening her grip bit by bit...

Arachnitron turned her head with a snap at Tarantulas' voice. Arachnitron realized the pain she was remembering was not happening to her anymore. All of those memories were behind her. She DID have control over her mind and body. The Maximal and Predacon programmings were no longer fighting over her and she had Tarantulas to thank for that. But if she defied Tarantulas, he'd remove the Inhibitor Chip and force her to go back to the life she hated so much. As much as she sympathized with Blackarachnia's plight...she couldn't choose to help Blackarachnia at the price of Tarantulas' continued help with perfecting the Inhibitor Chip.

Arachnitron raised her weapon again and aimed for Blackarachnia this time instead of the wall....again waiting for Tarantulas' signal to shoot.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Spooky introduction, Phoenix. ))

Watching Sonar act so smug, Primal concluded that he sure was cocky for such a small Predacon. A Predacon who was trapped in a small room against the now experienced Maximal Commander who didn't fear death anymore nor Megatron, had returned as a TransMetal and was taller and stronger. Truth be told, he didn't hold much against Sonar. The only nuisance he had really been in the Beast Wars thus far was using Saber-Fang as his own personal guinea pig.

"Just how many Maximals do you think Saber killed before this war even started? What she did makes Megatron look like an amateur."

Is that what Saber-Fang found so difficult to tell Optimus? He couldn't blame her, assuming the bat was being honest. It made sense when comparing it to what she mentioned earlier but he left out one minor detail. While he was taken aback by Sonar's revelation and wanted to know more, he didn't show it. Instead, the Maximal spun his mace around in his hand a few times with the flick of his wrist as if the Predacon was offering little entertainment for him. To club or not to club, that is the question...

"She didn't kill them," he corrected Sonar, acting as if he already knew more about it than he did, before getting back on topic. "It was the beast within. There have been choices made in this war that could have spared lives instead of taking them. And I suddenly find myself in that position, teetering on a verdict, weighing the outcome. My once merciful nature was taken advantage of by the Predacons, but now... now I feel... renewed." After searching for the right word, his orange optics stared down at Sonar, watching, probing, glaring as the Pred slowly stood up and turned around.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I thought it was rather obvious," Primal said as-a-matter-of-fact, briefly returning Sonar's toothy smile with his own sharp teeth. "Megatron wants to take away my friends, so I'll take away his pawns." Pawns because that was all they were to their commanding officer. Optimus took a step forward toward Sonar in an aggressive stance to try and intimidate him with his size, power, and quite possibly lethal aggression. He couldn't know what this Maximal was capable of after death. Maybe it wasn't really Optimus at all. Maybe Megatron had taught him what he had been doing wrong all along in this war and now he was willing to take lives in order for him and his crew to survive. Why not? Killing Sonar right then and there would be so simple, and then Megatron would have lost a number to his escalating crew. And war was all about numbers, was it not? His nemesis seemed to think so.

-----

Finally arriving at the Axalon with the rest of his team ((sort of...)), Rattrap rolled up to the bridge's entrance, activating the lift to lower while he maximized to his robot mode. Stepping on the platform, it took him up to the command center. "Honey, I'm hooome!" the Spy shouted but his voice was only greeted by the silence of the chairs and soft beeps on the monitors and radar. "Hey, where is everybody?" he asked as he looked around the empty round room. He wondered if Landslide had made it back safely and was finding his way around the broken ship. He probably went to the hangar, he assumed. "Yo, anybody here?" Rattrap called out as he stepped around the room and looked at the scanners and digital logs. Saber-Fang, Dinobot and Optimus were listed as present inside, as well as Cheetor and Silverstreak who were in the CR's and an unknown Maximal; must've been the new beetle. Phew. "Where's Big Green?" shocked that his name was missing. Didn't he have some news to tell him?

(( OOC: I'll have Rhinox show up at Orcariner's team in my next post; he's a little bit slow in beast mode after all. ))