"More Than Meets The Eye: Part I"

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Not posting for Tarantulas again just yet, not much to post for him besides more of him driving with his hostage and putting space between him and the others, don't want to leave everyone completely behind and return to base without the rest of the team.

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis could not hold back a faint, genuine smile as her fellow flyer flopped into his bath in an attempt to heal up. And better yet, he was encouraging her to do the same.

"I don't require cryoregeneration. Got that all built in, after all, and mine's more effective. Although a nice warm bath might be tempting.. after a few.. make that a lot.. of drinks."

She took the opportunity to wink at him, letting him take that statement any way he wanted to. It was then she noticed the heavy thuds of footsteps approaching.

Well.. seemed they weren't as alone as they originally thought.

Terrorsaur's eyes widened in surprise at Nemesis' words and winks, then smiled slyly at what appeared to be her flirting with him...And why wouldn't she? He was the best flyer on the planet, and sooner or later he'd replace Megatron at the top of the totem pole, he was certainly a better catch than any of the other males on this ship. Who'd compete with him? Inferno? Manterror? Hah!

One of the things he actually missed about Cybertron were the femmes, none of his female crewmates were really his type, especially that rotten spider Blackarachnia, far too many lunatics or possible rivals for the throne roaming about to even consider the notion of courting. Nemesis was certainly far from bad looking, and was certainly more handy in battle Waspinator, even if he was his best bud...Poor Wasp, he'd kill for a healing factor like Nem's, no doubt about that.

"Well, I might be able to find some drinks for you if you're inter..." Terrorsaur began to say as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps...Familiar, heavy footsteps.

Phoenix wrote: "My apologies, mighty Megatron. I don't expect you to remember me since I was merely one of many young recruits back then.. But I once served under you during your days as a field commander. I fought alongside of you during the Hiacon revolt, and rejected the Council's vote to hunt you down later on. They locked me away for a while after that until a fateful day when I persuaded a guard to release me. It was shortly after that when I found out about the Akira going after you and those foolish Maximals who attempted to stop you. I failed to aid you in your quest when you first left, I intend to make that up to you now that I'm here."

Megatron listened to Darkwind's story, one of proud military service and undying loyalty and devotion to a commander he'd served only once, a mere grunt amongst many who defied orders against impossible odds, escaped capture, and chased after a leader who didn't recall his name or face just so he could join him on an alien world...By the Pit, if this boy was a spy then he was trying far too hard to win his trust with a story that sappy and over the top!

Megatron relished the idea of a loyal new recruit, or the idea that other predacons were following in his mighty footsteps and rising up against the Tripredacus Council, but it could easily all just be a charade meant to lower his guard and allow this silver tongued devil to undermine his operation, and Megatron had learned long ago not to let flattery, no matter how pleasing, to blind him to a backstabber's schemes.

So until proven otherwise, Megatron would treat Darkwind like a Razor Snake, a creature best kept at arm's length, but would accept him into the fold nonetheless, it would be nice to have another Inferno in his midst, one a tad bit more sane, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

"Quite the inspirational story Darkwind, yesss, let us hope you don't live to regret your life's decisions, nooo" Megatron replied amicably, smiling and nodding in approval as he reached his throne room, his smile fading as he spotted the first of his underlings to return to base...Empty handed no less.

Looming over the two of them in judgement, hands behind his back, Megatron didn't bother to introduce Darkwind just yet, instead coldly inquired "Well? Report."

"Slag" Terrorsaur thought to himself, sinking into the CR tanks liquids so only his eyes were showing, all thoughts of romance gone from his mind as he was now only concerned with avoiding a royal beat down before he even had a chance to fully heal.

Noticing the newcomer, Terrorsaur hoped to change the subject and replied with a question of his own, pointing at Darkwind and said "Who's the new guy?"

Megatron slowly turned his head to look at Terrorsaur with a look so scathing that it would have made Unicron himself uneasy as he repeated "REPORT."

Again, Terrorsaur thought to himself "Slag"

[Phoenix]

"Aurora, please don't mistake my concern for under-appreciating what you have accomplished here. Your intelligence and exploration is exactly what we need in this war, and what you've done here is nothing short of extraordinary,"

Aurora attempted to smile but it came out more like a grimace. Optimus' initial reaction was still too clear in her mind, although she did appreciate the praise. All too often she was merely treated as a child by the other Maximals, very few of them actually considering her a valuable part of the team with much to contribute. It was true she wasn't much of a warrior, in fact she didn't carry lethal weapons, but her greatest asset was an undying desire to find new discoveries to aid them in this ongoing war.

Sadly war was all Aurora had ever known. She didn't know what it felt like not having to look over her shoulder while outside of the base, or not having to fear for the safety of her loved ones. Which in turn only increased her devotion to come up with new ways to help the Maximals. Her contributions may not be as visible as the braver warriors who stepped up to the front line despite having little to no military training, or as the commanding officers that offered guidance in the midst of chaos, but it was still nice to be appreciated once in a while. Her smile brightened a little bit as she thought about what Optimus had just said until..

"Other than your research and what we've gathered with our encounters against Nemesis, we know very little about this technology and what it's capable of. I simply want to be careful with it until we're certain that it's harmless. Now, you say I'm the first living subject to test your 'nano-gel' on and that they need energy or electricity from their host to function and survive, but can't they feed off of my energy? Can I not be their new host? Can they adapt and evolve?"

Aurora tugged her bottom lip into her mouth, biting lightly into it. Truth be told, she hadn't really considered some of these points in her excitement to show off her progress. She certainly didn't think they would cause any harm. It was true the energy within a transformer was different than the plain old regular energy she used to keep the nano-gel functional, but with all the differences in energy signatures she doubted the nanotechnology would be able to adapt.

"I.. don't know the answer yet," she then grudgingly admitted, "But I don't believe their basic programming allows for much evolution. Although .."

A teasing gleam appeared in her optics for a moment.

"We can always keep a paint bucket on hand in the event you suddenly start looking like Nemesis."

"Quite the inspirational story Darkwind, yesss, let us hope you don't live to regret your life's decisions, nooo"

Darkwind didn't answer, instead he merely inclined his head ever so slightly as a sign of respect. Megatron's approach had been an uncaring one, not that he was expecting anything less. In due time he would loosen up a bit, of that Darkwind was sure.

"Well, I might be able to find some drinks for you if you're inter..."

Nemesis straightened out, letting her wings hang idly as she forced a smile to her fellow transmetal. Males tended to be so easily manipulated and Terrorsaur was certainly no exception. It was an inherent flaw she'd seen all too often with only a few exceptions popping up from time to time. Not that she had much time to take advantage before one of said exceptions arrived with another, unknown, male in tow. Nemesis crossed her arms as she eyed them in turn, knowing this confrontation had the potential to turn nasty. In fact Terrorsaur was already cowering, looking more than uncomfortable. Nemesis drew a silent sigh at this.

As the tyrant and his newest lackey, out of lack of a better term, continued through the ship, they encountered two other crew members. One male, currently trying to make himself invisible in the cryoregenerating bath, and one female, eyeing them suspiciously with her arms folded across her chest. Darkwind nodded to each of them in turn, a hint of a smile visible on his face. It was obvious that the two were not bringing good news.

"Well? Report."

Nemesis paused, giving Terrorsaur a chance to come up with a decent explanation for what had gone down. Unfortunately her team mate froze in his tracks, causing the avian female to shake her head briefly at the altercation. Terrorsaur was a lost cause before even uttering a word.

"Who's the new guy?"

"REPORT."

Watching Terrorsaur withdraw, Nemesis decided to respond. It certainly wasn't going get much worse.

"The pod was already damaged beyond repair upon impact. It also took some hits during the altercation between us and the Maximals who'd come to investigate, but we dealt them some heavy blows before we were ordered to return. Unfortunately there were no signs of the pod's occupant.."

She paused to shift her gaze to Darkwind, her expression unreadable. "..Until now, perhaps.."

It was the most likely scenario. Size wise the unknown male seemed just right for the pod, and since the last team had not reported back yet it seemed unlikely he came from there, and she was sure Megatron's team had come up empty handed as well due to his foul mood on the radio earlier.

Darkwind raised an optic ridge at the observation, but he awaited Megatron's response before he said anything.

[Night-Hunter]

Aw.. I coulda gold plated it fer ya lass.

Saber rolled her eyes and shook her head, not finding this the least bit funny.

Dunno,we just got here. Call im' up.. and while yer at it, ya might wanna get checked out lass.. yer looking a bit peaked. I'd do it myself.. but I'm not qualified.. or really in the shape fer it.

"Don't... worry. I'm always this weak after the transformation wears off, I just need to rest. But that can wait." Saber said missing the last part of what Landslide had said about his injury.

She forced herself to stay awake, she had to speak to Optimus. Giving her head a shake she contacted him via COMM link. "Saber-Fang to Optimus. I need to speak with you, its urgent."

[DarkSpark]

Phoenix wrote: Watching Terrorsaur withdraw, Nemesis decided to respond. It certainly wasn't going get much worse.

"The pod was already damaged beyond repair upon impact. It also took some hits during the altercation between us and the Maximals who'd come to investigate, but we dealt them some heavy blows before we were ordered to return. Unfortunately there were no signs of the pod's occupant.."

She paused to shift her gaze to Darkwind, her expression unreadable. "..Until now, perhaps.."

It was the most likely scenario. Size wise the unknown male seemed just right for the pod, and since the last team had not reported back yet it seemed unlikely he came from there, and she was sure Megatron's team had come up empty handed as well due to his foul mood on the radio earlier.

Darkwind raised an optic ridge at the observation, but he awaited Megatron's response before he said anything.

"Yeah, Yeah! We scrapped them up real good Megatron! And like Nemesis said, the pod was empty, so its not like they got anything out of it either. You know how those new maximals always are, popping up at the last second all deus ex machina like and ruining everything? None of that slag this time, so we're probably in the clear!" Terrorsaur spoke up, rising from the bath and backing up his teammate's explanation.

Megatron rolled his optics at the excuses "they dealt them some heavy blows" and "we're probably in the clear," and was about to chew them out and afterwards correct them in regards to Darkwind's identity, but then it did dawn on him that one, she was right to question if Darkwind were actually the missing protoform, and two, if he could confirm that he wasn't, that meant the pod was either empty or that there was an unclaimed soldier wandering about the wilderness waiting to be snatched up from under Primal's nose. Even if it had come online without reprogramming, if its identity circuits had been lost like Quickstrike's then it could still be brought under Megatron's sway...Assuming Darkwind was not a maximal spy.

Turning away from his bumbling minions, Megatron turned to Darkwind and asked "Care to introduce yourself to your new shipmates, Darkwind? As well as alleviate their concerns regarding how you got here?"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"I.. don't know the answer yet," "But I don't believe their basic programming allows for much evolution. Although .." "We can always keep a paint bucket on hand in the event you suddenly start looking like Nemesis."

Optimus chuckled at Aurora's humor with her subtle change of emotion. "Then I guess we'll find out," he said in a laid-back voice with a smile and stood up.

Oof.. Aye.. Dunno much about her condition myself lad, I just know nuts and bolts.

"Eh," Rattrap began as an objection. "You can also handle yerself pretty well in battle." That was probably as good as any compliments from him that Landslide would get even though he could have been a lot more specific, but that wasn't his style.

Aw.. I coulda gold plated it fer ya lass.

The Spy grinned and added, "Yeah. We coulda made ya a whole new grill, Saber."

"No one is super gluing in anything."

Rattrap shrugged at Saber-Fang as if to say, "Suit yourself," after he bent down and picked up her fang from the floor and examined it in his small hands. His chest still hurt, as well as lingering head ache, but he'd get to a CR eventually. Now that they were safe and sound in the Axalon, he wasn't in so much of a rush to sleep.

"Where's Optimus? I... I need to speak with him... Now."

The rat decided to lay off the jokes once the feline got to her feet and appeared to be distraught about something. He wasn't sure what, though. "Take it easy," he recommended as he watched her balance sway a little like a tall building or tree staggering in high wind speeds.

Dunno,we just got here. Call im' up.. and while yer at it, ya might wanna get checked out lass.. yer looking a bit peaked. I'd do it myself.. but I'm not qualified.. or really in the shape fer it.

"Don't... worry. I'm always this weak after the transformation wears off, I just need to rest. But that can wait."

"Everybody just relax before you all blow a couple gaskets," Rattrap interjected. While Saber-Fang contacted Optimus, the smaller Maximal listened and watched Landslide as he went over his injuries.

Well, I'll get to patchin' myself up.. Ug.. bloody Nano bird.. What is she anyway? Some renominate of a Jhiaxus experiment or somethin'?

"All ya need ta know is dat she's a pain in the skidplate and probably spawned from the infernos of the Pit. She's pretty much invincible because of her slaggin' nanotech, but I think today I just figured out a way ta slow her down," Rattrap said as he pulled out his small taser tool with his free hand and activated it a couple times, playfully watching the whitish blue spark ignite like a pyromaniac watching a flame. He didn't bother going into detail about how she came to be since she didn't deserve him wasting his breath talking about her, but it also still bothered him about they lost Nightmist because of her.

Ah good.. the lubricant diluted her acid. Not so bad.. just some blown servos, a destroyed foot, broken wings, an' I over heated my guns. About the same as a night out with the boys after a trip to Maccadam's oil house..

Lowering his arms to his sides and raising a brow at the beetle, the rodent sarcastically said, "Yeah, sure, just a couple o' scratches. It'll buff right out." The bug knew he was falling apart, right? "Hey, I've been ta Maccadam's," he smiled as they discovered something in common from home despite how far away it was and how long it had been since either of them had set foot on Cybertron.

"Saber-Fang to Optimus. I need to speak with you, its urgent."

The urgency in Saber-Fang's voice quickly erased the smile Primal was sharing with Aurora. "I'm on my way to the hangar," he told her, merely assuming that's where Landslide would have entered with her and Rattrap when they had returned. "Aurora, store the rest of your gel there securely and follow me," Optimus said as he exited the medical bay and moved briskly down the corridors to the cargo bay.

"Dinobot to the Axalon. The protoform is working with us,"

Working with us? thought Rhinox. That wasn't exactly the definition of rescuing a Maximal protoform. Interesting choice of words, Dinobot... But at least it sounded as though they had acquired another teammate today.

"Ironclaw and I are engaged in a battle near the stasis pod. The rest of our party is injured. Tarantulas has taken the new soldier hostage. Someone needs to attempt to stop him before he reaches the Predacon base and rescue our comrade! Dinobot out."

"Understood, Dinobot. I'm sending reinforcements. Rhinox out," he ended with the raptor and used his comm. link to inform their leader.

"Optimus, Dinobot has just reported in and is requesting back-up. He and Ironclaw are currently engaged and there are injuries among their team. Tarantulas is attempting to abduct the protoform, so someone needs to stop him while the others are preoccupied."

This day was turning into a very exhausting one for the Commander. First the battle at the Akira and finding Nexus, then Feralnight's situation, then the nanogel Aurora used to heal his gash, then Saber's plea to speak with him, and now they needed to rescue their new ally before he or she would fall into Tarantulas's or Megatron's hands. Primus, help me, he thought with a little desperation, but it wasn't heard in his voice. "Copy that, Rhinox. I'll be on my way shortly."

Shortly? Wasn't he suffering from a nasty wound? Perhaps Aurora was able to patch it up. Either way, Rhinox knew better than to think Optimus would decline assisting a team out in the field if they needed it despite his own injuries from a previous battle. And since they were short some fliers, they needed all that they could get for this run in order to catch up to the TransMetal tarantula. "Sometimes he pushes himself too far," he said out loud to himself in the bridge.

"Orcariner, I need you at the hangar. Now," Primal emphasized over his comm. link to the orca ((OOC: assuming he isn't already there for the CR or something)). Arriving there himself in a hasty manner, obviously needed now to be elsewhere, Optimus spotted the saber-tooth and approached her with a quick stride while he glanced at all of their wounds and the pod behind Rattrap that they had brought back. It always bothered him to see his crew beat up and to wonder what they went through but at least all of them returned no worse. He himself was still beat up and dirty from the Akira's explosion but his worst injury had been repaired thanks to Aurora.

"What it is, Saber-Fang? Speak quickly," the Maximal Commander encouraged her. He didn't want to be abrupt or rude, but time was against him. As usual. Someone else out there was depending on him and Orcariner to retrieve them, but Optimus could do it much faster with Orcariner's help so long as the whale was capable of flying. While he waited for the orca, this was her opportunity to tell him whatever it was that was so important, otherwise she'd have to wait until he returned.

Seeing their fearless leader show up, Rattrap was eager to tell him about his discovery with electricity and Nemesis but hesitated to speak when he noticed that he was in a hurry for something and only had time to spare for Saber. Well, maybe Rhinox or Aurora wasn't far behind him, so he could tell them about it instead. He had to tell someone!

[Phoenix]

"Yeah, Yeah! We scrapped them up real good Megatron! And like Nemesis said, the pod was empty, so its not like they got anything out of it either. You know how those new maximals always are, popping up at the last second all deus ex machina like and ruining everything? None of that slag this time, so we're probably in the clear!"

Nemesis groaned inwardly at the rather frantic attempt at backing up her claims, but outwardly she remained calm and collected. If there was anything her many years of being on the run from her creators had taught her, it was that showing any visible signs of being nervous would be considered suspicious behavior faster than even she could move. And so she had trained herself to maintain an inscrutable appearance when confronted. She merely glanced at Megatron passively, her arms still folded across her chest, awaiting his next move.

The tyrant was fighting to hold back a sneer, that much she could tell by the way his lip curled ever so slightly, so chances were he doubted them. Fair enough, she probably would have as well given the circumstances, but she would rather not be on the receiving end of Megatron's barely restrained fury. Granted she had exceptional healing abilities, unmatched by none, but that did not make her immune to the pain that would surely come with such a rage. So she waited for the commander's move, her face completely unreadable.

"Care to introduce yourself to your new shipmates, Darkwind? As well as alleviate their concerns regarding how you got here?"

The stranger, now known as Darkwind, had an amused smile on his face and a certain playful gleam in his optics, something about him made her a little uncomfortable in a way but she couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was. The look he sent her just seemed to suggest he was an individual who knew far more than he should.

Narrowing her optics ever so slightly at the stranger, she spoke up.

"Yes, do enlighten us, Darkwind," she encouraged but it came out more as a demand.

The amused look on his face brightened at that comment.

"Very well, since the beauty insists," Darkwind replied lightheartedly, "Fear not, my comrades, I did indeed use the pod you speak of as a vessel to safely get to this place. Upon making my escape from the Akira, I borrowed the pod without the knowledge of the ship's captain. Alas the pod started malfunctioning during the descent so I made an emergency exit before the contraption his the ground and destroyed me in the process. Afterwards I started making my way here so that I could offer my services to the mighty Megatron.. and his troops, of course."

He started making his way closer to the two Predacon flyers to make a more formal introduction.

"The name is Darkwind, pleased to meet your acquaintance, " he told Terrorsaur cheerfully, briefly reaching out his arm for a shake before moving on to the next one.

"And who might you be, my lady?," he said upon getting close enough to extend a hand to the female of the two. Upon not having this gesture returned, he merely let his hand slide down her backside instead as he faced her. He immediately came to regret this approach as a knee was swiftly brought up into his abdominal region with as much force as she could muster. With a groan, Darkwind took several steps back, crouching over while clutching his midsection.

"Don't ever touch me," Nemesis warned with a hiss as she moved further away, already having taken a dislike for this flirtatious stranger who had caused them nothing but trouble so far.

"Feisty," Darkwind muttered as he straightened out, maintaining enough poise to avoid grabbing for his weapons. "Just the way I like 'em." He sent Nemesis a wink, but only got a glare in return. "Guess I need to work on my lines. Don't worry, it won't happen again," he then mumbled, sending a quick apologetic look to Megatron for having seen what just transpired. There hadn't exactly been many females present during his time in the army and even less during the incarceration that followed.

"Aurora, store the rest of your gel there securely and follow me,"

The ermine fuzor was quick to comply, safely securing what was left of the nano-gel container before rushing to catch up with Optimus. The monkey was already most of the way down the corridor by the time she got through the door, obviously in a hurry. Not that it mattered much, she already knew he was heading to the hanger after he'd just told Saber to meet him there in Aurora's presence.

So she hurried after him, rounding the corner not long after him only to see Saber-Fang and Rattrap already there. Aurora smiled at her similarly sized rodent friend, only to notice that in his lowered hand he was holding a taser. What an odd choice of weapon..?

[Night-Hunter]

Take it easy.

Saber tried not to growl, there was no "taking it easy" for her, she didn't have that luxury.

Everybody just relax before you all blow a couple of gaskets.

Saber's ears went back in annoyance and she shook her head.

"I'm on my way to the hanger."

Her ears perked up a little, then forced herself to Maximize when Optimus arrived a short time later. She used a storage container to lean against, Primus these transformations were taking a lot out of her.

"What is it, Saber- Fang? Speak quickly."

She didn't beat around the bush so to speak, she simply got to the point.

"I-I can't go out into the field anymore, I'm to much of a liability. Especially when a transformation is triggered."

[Alak]

((OOC: Wasn't entirely sure how to work around Saber and Optimus' conversation, so just go ahead and take care of that first instead of trying to have Optimus talk to both Saber and Orcariner at the same time. Wouldn't want things to get too convoluted for our beloved leader ))

BIC:

"Orcariner, I need you at the hangar. Now."

The massive CR Chamber near Orcariner's workstation beeped. The repairs were not complete, but the giant was perfectly content with interrupting the process early. He was still flight and combat ready. If anything, he would just look a little worse than usual. It was a superficial problem that he was more than willing to overlook, especially if duty called for him. Stepping out of the repair chamber, Orcariner inspected his body and proceeded to walk towards his commander.

"Already here, sir," he said with a smile.

This was one of the many times that it was convenient to have a work station inside of the ship's hangar bay. He may have been too bulky to wander around the Axalon, but at least he would be ready to deploy into the field at a moment's notice. It was a silver lining that the sentry tried to focus on.

Orcariner asked, "What's the mission? More newcomers or Preds?"

There was a sensation of excitement that pulsed through his spark. Perhaps it was due to what he thought was a disappointing performance in the previous mission with the Akira. Orcariner finally had the opportunity for his much-anticipated rematch against Megatron, only to be shot down by what appeared to be a clumsy llama. He had to make note not to take the situation for granted ever again. That was how he always got hurt in combat. It was always how others got hurt under his watch. Orcariner briefly thought of Icebreaker and how his friend died. His thoughts then quickly shifted towards Steelclaw as well as that security footage that he had watched against orders. A nearly overwhelming surge of anger rose within him, and the orca was beginning to hope that this mission at hand involved fighting the Predacons. He also hoped Steelclaw would be there so that he could take of the business he had originally set out to do two missions prior to this one.

Remember what she said.

Guilt stopped him from taking his dark thoughts too far. Orcariner remembered the conversation he had with Whitegrazer the last time they were flying out to inspect a mysterious signal. She clearly disapproved of the titan's intentions, and she made it known that Optimus would never allow one of his friends to commit murder as an act of justice.

Maybe... maybe I should find out for myself.

"Hey, Optimus?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, "Is it just going to be the two of us flying out on this one?"

He really hoped that the answer would be "yes". Orcariner wanted to seek counsel from Optimus who was both his friend and commander. If anyone had the right answers, it would be him. While Orcariner knew that Optimus would disapprove, deep inside the orca wanted to try and voice his reasoning behind his dark thoughts. However unlikely, if he could just get his leader to understand- and possibly approve- of his intentions, then it might just make killing Steelclaw all the more justifiable.

[starshadow]

((

OOC: Well, I've been given permission to successfully kidnap Banshee, Bwahahahaha! So that'll probably be a factor in future plans, but whether or not Cheetor is successfully abducted is up to his player, Naitokage, & you Blackrose.

OOC: Well, I'm the type who usually goes with the flow~ Yessssss.... ))

Starshadow flew in the Darksyde and landed on her feet, finding Nemesis and Terrorsaur in the base and a new comer with a feline beast mode. Currently she was not as curious as before. Probably years of spending time with the Predacons made her less interested in them. The catbot simply walked past them, trying not to be noticed by the others as they are more focused about the new kitty and sat in the last CR tank, leaning on the edge to listen while waiting for her damaged leg to repair.

"The pod was already damaged beyond repair upon impact. It also took some hits during the altercation between us and the Maximals who'd come to investigate, but we dealt them some heavy blows before we were ordered to return. Unfortunately there were no signs of the pod's occupant....Until now, perhaps.."

"Yeah, Yeah! We scrapped them up real good Megatron! And like Nemesis said, the pod was empty, so its not like they got anything out of it either. You know how those new maximals always are, popping up at the last second all deus ex machina like and ruining everything? None of that slag this time, so we're probably in the clear!"

"Care to introduce yourself to your new shipmates, Darkwind? As well as alleviate their concerns regarding how you got here?"

She rolled her optics and put her arms on the edge, resting her head on it while purring softly as she listened.

"Very well, since the beauty insists, fear not, my comrades, I did indeed use the pod you speak of as a vessel to safely get to this place. Upon making my escape from the Akira, I borrowed the pod without the knowledge of the ship's captain. Alas the pod started malfunctioning during the descent so I made an emergency exit before the contraption his the ground and destroyed me in the process. Afterwards I started making my way here so that I could offer my services to the mighty Megatron.. and his troops, of course. The name is Darkwind, pleased to meet your acquaintance, and who might you be, my lady?"

"Don't ever touch me,"

Starshadow smiled at that, almost laughing. Good on you Nem! she thought.

"Guess I need to work on my lines. Don't worry, it won't happen again,"

"I don't think pick-up lines ever work when it comes to Nemesis, none of it works on most Predacon females anyway..."

[una]

Whitegrazer concentrated on what was going on around her. Even though her meditation didn't give her the answers to what she felt after the battle, it gave her a golden opportunity to improve her senses around the Axalon. She began to feel her connection with Optimus, feeling his exhaustion and his movements of urgency. What was going on that was so... Oh. The team that was still out were having troubles. All she could see was the flash of names, one which was familiar, Cheetor, and the other... Who was Banshee? She expressed her concern, You are pushing yourself too hard. Your injuries still not quite healed. Be careful. I'm here for you if you need me. Even if she wanted to help the team, something told her to stay here for the time being, but due to her connection and no matter distance it seems, she was going to keep a watchful eye. She sensed something crawling on her. What was that? It reminded her of what she sensed on Nemesis, but it's not as intense or violent. Someone was feeling worried and distraught. Saber-Fang? She wanted to reach out to the hurting comrade, sharing her calmness to the sabertooth. Orcariner? He was there too deep in thought. She wondered...if he was started to listen to her words or was he still adamant on vengeance agaisnt Steelclaw? Rattrap? Aurora? Aurora... something told her to keep watch. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was needed.

She needed to go there. Whitegrazer stood up and walked to the hangar bay.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Blackarachnia had hurried to her room and began cleaning off her working table. She went from all corners of her room to gather welding tools, a small power generator, and sheets of metal and wires. What laid before her was a mess and a stretch to the imagination, but the nightmares were too much. The fact that she let such vile interrupt her in battle and keep her down like some wounded animal. She was sick of this! She took the welding iron, placing her protective mask on, and tried placing things together. Sparks flew up in the air along with her wires, her pinchers working in haste. Some weren't connecting properly or were useless, so she was thew any worthless junk on the floor. Blue lights flickered.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Hey, he can multitask. ))

"I-I can't go out into the field anymore, I'm to much of a liability. Especially when a transformation is triggered."

Optimus noticed her broken tooth which was in one of Rattrap's hands before she converted to robot mode. He could tell that she was upset and very exhausted, barely able to stand on her two feet. What she said made him concerned and it showed on his face. "What did you to her?" he asked as he looked to Rattrap and Landslide.

It was Rattrap who jumped in to defend them. "It wasn't us! It was her kitten playmate Starshadow," he retorted at their leader. "She broke her fang an' pushed her over the edge makin' the beast come out. All Landslide did was tranquilize 'er when the Preds retreated and den we left." The Spy stepped over to Saber and handed her her large, sharp tooth.

"So, some of the Predacons find it entertaining to deliberately bring out the beast," Optimus mused. It could be a problem in future battles if they continued this, trying to make it even more difficult for team leaders to keep Saber-Fang under control and not harm them or herself.

"That's for me to decide, Saber-Fang," Primal told her. "However, there's still the matter of you explaining to me what has been going on between you and Sonar. But for now, get some rest and repairs. I'll think about your request." He didn't want to lose another member to put out in the field but he also didn't want to force her into situations that might put so many others into harm's way. It was a tricky situation that would require more thought and discussion than simply agreeing to it in the moment.

"Already here, sir,"

Hearing the CR chamber open and Orcariner stepping out, Optimus looked over at him and nodded. That was convenient.

"What's the mission? More newcomers or Preds?"

"Both," answered the Commander, intrigued by the enthusiasm in the orca's voice. "Dinobot's team is suffering with injuries and Tarantulas is attempting an abduction of the protoform. They require our assistance, and I'll need you to pick up Tarantulas's signature to find him." Hopefully...

"Hey, Optimus?" "Is it just going to be the two of us flying out on this one?"

"Yes," he said, and his voice almost lingered on the word since it seemed to be an odd question that nearly puzzled him for a moment. Was there something Orcariner wished to talk about privately? Primal could probably take a pretty good guess as to what it was.

You are pushing yourself too hard. Your injuries still not quite healed. Be careful. I'm here for you if you need me.

His expression suddenly seemed to calm and relax as he felt Whitegrazer reaching out to him. A tiny smile almost tugged at a corner of his mouth. Optimus tried sending her the feeling of a warm embrace as comfort and appreciation. And just when he wished he could see her before he left, he turned and looked at the hangar's entrance right before white mare appeared. His smile doubled in its size as his gaze lingered on her until he realized he needed to get back to business.

"Aurora and Whitegrazer, help out everyone here in any way they need it. We'll be back," he said as he turned away from all of them, leaped into the air, and at the same time converted to his hover board mode and blasted out of the hangar, heading in the direction of the pod that Dinobot's team was assigned to.

"What's on your mind, Orcariner?" Primal began, with the assumption that there was anything on his mind at all, as they flew through the sky toward their destination. There was a lot on his own mind, to say the least. And now he had to add Saber's well-being to the jungle gym of mess in his head. He wished she would just open up to him and be honest. It was so difficult to move forward in the matter or make decisions such as the one she suggested when there was so little information provided to him. He did feel that Landslide did the right thing to stop her and bring her back, but these feral transformations of hers were obviously taking a toll on her more than they were with the rest of the Maximals.

Meanwhile, Rattrap looked from Landslide and Saber-Fang to Aurora and her eyeing his taser. "Ya like it?" he asked her with a grin. "I performed a successful theory on Nemesis today," he said as he jokingly tried sounding like a scientist and lifted the taser as he sparked it a couple times. "Turns out her itty bitty nano nuisances don't like voltage." Proud of himself, he turned a little to show the stasis pod that they had brought back with them. "As for dis, it ain't much use but it ain't one of ours either. So I wanted ta find out its origin. Wanna help me with it?" the damaged rat asked Aurora.

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw kept his grip on the she spider as she started to squirm. He tightened his hold on her throat with the intention to end her. He did not need to be told, he knew this was necessary for the Maximal cause. The badger did not enjoy it, but he would not let that get in the way of his job. Ironclaw could stomach the harder decisions, this was something that was causing a divide between him and the other Maximals, especially Optimus. It was not apparent yet, most just thought he was stubborn. He simply disagreed, and wasn't going to let it carry on so easily. As his grip tightened on the Predacon he could see her eyes start to flicker and dim as the life left her systems. At this point the voice returned but it was recognizable, it was Dinobot. And he actually was trying to talk him down. Suggesting that she needed to be armed in order to make it a fair fight. This was quickly followed by the mercenary speaking up. They had both now used the term warrior to try and identify Ironclaw. At this point his rage started to ebb, his posture changed and he looked over to the two of them.

"You both mistake me for being a warrior. This isn't the grand arena, this isn't some sort dual. This is war" Ironclaw stated noting that Dinobot chose to stand there rather than engaging the enemy. Could he be going soft? Or was he still a Predacon at spark. He understood Dinobot had a code of honor, which is a quality that the badger liked. However if this got in the way of securing victory, He wouldn't allow it. The she spider's eyes suddenly came back to life, she then proceeded to wink at smirk at him. This not phasing Ironclaw, he through her down to the ground and placed his foot firmly over her, pinning her to the ground. He roared in her face undeterred.

Dinobot stepped away allowing further dialogue from the Octopus. This time he got his attention by mimicking his won voice. "I don't care what you believe. You saw what happened when I indulged with you, you're gonna talk me out of it?" Ironclaw ended with a rhetorical question, slightly amused by the mercenary's comment. After, he drew two swords and seemed to focus on the badger. Ironclaw reacted by deploying both of his forearm cannons, one pointed at the spider and the other at the octopus.
"You don't belong to anyone. You fight for nothing other than yourself. At the end of the say you still kill. But I do it for the Maximals" Ironclaw made another statement, ready to do what had to be done.

(Sorry it took so long)

[NaitoKage]

"I don't care what you believe. You saw what happened when I indulged with you, you're gonna talk me out of it?"

"You don't belong to anyone. You fight for nothing other than yourself. At the end of the say you still kill. But I do it for the Maximals"

Umbra watched as Ironclaw pointed the gun towards him, unphased by this action however. That is true..Well, I guess there is just no talking you out of it, and no way of really stopping you.. Umbra gave a sigh shaking his head, sheathing his swords seeming to almost look like he was giving up as he held his arms up. However, the talk had given him enough time to recharge his jumpjet..

Umbra suddenly propelled the short distance like a bullet as he went into a side kick to Ironclaw's stomach, the force of the kick and momentum from the jumpjet sending Ironclaw flying back into the bushes. (And yes, if your wondering it's similar to Johnny Cage's shadow kick. )

____________________________

"Hey, I've been ta Maccadam's,"

Landslide laughed with a smile Aye, finest oilhouse in all the galaxy.

Landslide observed as Saberfang and Optimus spoke, though he didn't really know Saber well enough to interject. After Optimus left, he looked towards Saber Er.. Listen lass.. if it becomes too much on you, we still got some stasis pods around.. It's not a cure, but if yer that worried, you could go into stasis for awhile. Only thing I'd be worried about is if somethin' happened to ya like that..

Landslide then looked towards Rattrap showing off his tazer. He let out a light laugh Aye, it's a fine device. Only way I would of been able to perform similar is with my arc welder.. but I can't even catch that witch as she buzzes around at mach 2.. Perhaps I'll need to look into some countermeasures myself,though Nanomachines aren't really effective on me.

Landslide started to put his leg back together, then got up slowly Ug.. Maybe I will use the CR chamber for abit..Wake me up if ya need me lad. he then lumbered towards Orcariner's CR chamber.

[Blackrosefencer]

OOC:

DS: Ride like the wind and play some "born to be wild" for atmosphere.

Blackrose: Well.. I was also having Umbra carry Arachnitron since her profile states she's bad at running.. But eh. Alright.

Like I said, I agree with the thought and appreciate the intervention since there is no other way my character is getting out of this......just wanted you to wait until next post to do the last part to give my characters a chance to react, that's all.

Thank you for the edit...


BIC:

Umbra simply started to laugh at the scene. What nonsense is this? Clearly this isn't a warrior to begin with. he spoke up, then spoke again.. surprisingly in Ironclaw's own voice. "I'm loyal to more than my next pay check. I have greater purpose than you" Is what you said is it not? For a moment I almost believed you had believed in the lies from the academy..So this is it.. Your greater purpose? To indulge in your primal programming..

Umbra drew both his short swords from his back holding them in a strange reverse grip, his optics focused on Ironclaw, while his octopus eyes observed Dinobot. You know what the difference been an assassin and a killer is.. Ironclaw? One is an occupation.. the other is a mental illness. You might just get along better with the Predacons then Dinobot or I do..

Dinobot just listened as Umbra spoke. He was quite surprised that he, too, was trying to talk Ironclaw out of choking the life out of Arachnitron instead of just shooting him or retreating to save his own hide like most other Predacons would have done.

"You both mistake me for being a warrior. This isn't the grand arena, this isn't some sort dual. This is war"

Dinobot snarled in response and heard Rhinox's voice informing him that reinforcements were on the way, but he didn't respond to Rhinox. He decided to continue to address the badger, though he imagined it would be futile. Optimus didn't have much luck speaking to the reckless Maximal, but then again, Dinbot was not Optimus. Perhaps he could, at the very least, hit a nerve....the younger Maximal fancied himself a soldier, but he knew nothing of war.

"It is a war making it even more crucial to hold on to the things that make us who we are. I may no longer fight alongside my kin, but I still have my Honor. It's the only thing I have and I refuse to compromise that even in the midst of this war. Shooting an unarmed Predacon won't make the loss that the Maximals suffered here any less of a loss nor does it make the Maximals any closer to victory. Now, I will say it once more only. Either allow Arachnitron to pick up her weapon to defend herself or stand down so that we might retreat and rescue our comrades. Or am I mistaken about your allegiance too?"

Ironclaw threw Arachnitron to the ground roughly. The spider winced when she hit the ground, but her red optics still stared into Ironclaw's optics not showing a hint of fear. The large Maximal put his foot over top of her to trap her below him. At least, she was no longer being choked, but he still hadn't done what he was ordered to do. Arachnitron continued to scowl at the badger, but still didn't speak. Dinobot figured the force of Ironclaw's choke hold may have damaged her voice, but he couldn't be sure.

Dinobot didn't care at this point what he looked like doing it, he refused to take part in this battle as long as Arachnitron was unarmed. Umbra pulled his own weapons out as Ironclaw spoke to him, but Dinobot didn't move. He did keep an eye on Cheetor, though, who was still wrapped up in the she-spider's webbing prepared to be carted away. If they attempted to abduct him as they had appeared to be planning to do, then Dinobot would step in, but at this moment, he would not engage until that time or until Arachnitron had a weapon...whichever happened first. If Ironclaw chose to disobey his orders, he would be fighting both Predacons by himself.

"You don't belong to anyone. You fight for nothing other than yourself. At the end of the day you still kill. But I do it for the Maximals" Ironclaw made another statement, ready to do what had to be done.

Dinobot didn't respond...he didn't have time to respond. Ironclaw pulled his wrist cannons out and aimed at the two Predacons. Arachnitron, sensing there was no other way to protect herself, threw an arm over her head to cover her face and took the shot from the wrist cannons in her forearm.

Suddenly, Umbra leapt over to the battle and attempted to knock Ironclaw off of Arachnitron. It was enough of a distraction for the smaller Predacon to grab a hold of her energon pistol and fire off a shot at the badger. She scrambled to her feet only able to use her right arm and glared at the honey badger, her red optics revealing her fury. She quick flipped her pistol in the air and caught the barrel in her good hand and proceeded to hold the pistol as a club. She raced towards the brawl in a rage swinging the pistol at the badger, but was only able to express her outrage in small, low growls since the choke hold had rendered her vocal processes completely useless.

Dinobot could have shot his eye lasers at the widow, but he decided against it. Instead, he approached the three of them swinging his spinning sword to even the odds. Now that they all had weapons, or at least the ability to use a weapon if they so chose, Dinobot felt better about joining in the fight.

OOC: NK if you want Cheetor to be successfully abducted, then I suggest you do something to Dinobot to keep him from attacking Umbra when he tries to get Cheetor out of there....like throw a knife at him or shoot him or something.

[Night-Hunter]

"What did you do to her?"

"They-" Saber started to say then stopped when Rattrap interrupted and explained what happened.

She silently took the fang from the rat and quietly exsamined it and sighed, closing her fist around the broken fang.

"That's for me to decide, Saber-Fang."

Saber looked at Optimus and opened her to argue but decided against it.

"However, they're still the matter of you explaining to me what's been going between you and Sonar."

She felt herself relax, relieved that Sonar hadn't told Optimus his twisted side of thier past relationship.

"But for now, get some rest and repairs. I'll think about your request."

"Of course, sir. I'll tell you once we have some free time and thank you."

Saber looked at Land and listened what he had to say. She smiled a little before speaking.

"Thank you for your concern, Landslide. But aside from the constant threat of this... Threat lerking about inside me, I still wish to be helpful, being in a stasis pod would counter that." She patted his arm before leaving the hanger and headed for her quarters.