The Intergalactic Highway

Whitegrazer wrote:I'm sorry about what happened to her. What was her name if you don't mind me asking?

Did he mind her asking?

...No, no. Too few had bothered to know enough about her in the past.

"Her name was Pinpoint."

The response hung in the quiet air long after it was spoken, for Whitegrazer seemed lost in thought, and Steelclaw was caught thinking about the name, and everything it had once meant.

Whitegrazer wrote:Steelclaw, do you think my comrades are your enemy? Do you think that I am your enemy?

The Predacon shrugged.

"I can't say what you were like back on Cybertron, so I don't know if you're the kind of person I'm fighting against. You must understand, Whitegrazer: I can only act on what I believe; not on what you believe. I came here with a specific goal, and where you Maximals seek to stop us Predacons, I must contend with you. It seems your crew's mission to stop us, and so, where we press our goal, you must contend with us as well.

"That is the sum of our relationship. Whether that makes us 'enemies' is irrelevant. But if you're asking whether I like it- if I take pride or joy in fighting you or any on your side- then the answer is 'no.' As I once told your comrade, Orcariner, it bothers me.

"Speaking of 'us Predacons', do you know what happened to Sonar, or is that a tactical secret?"

((OOC: Getting late. Will post for other characters tomorrow.))

((OOC: I have NO IDEA what is going on in this thread. Why did NaitoKage randomly join back in with an unapproved character? How is it that she got to the predicon base undetected? How did she even GET here? Does she know about this truce? Where did this tunnel come from? Where does it go? Where is Ironclaw currently at? WHAT IS GOING ON?

This post is probably completely wrong, but hey, I don't know whats going on or whats supposed to be happening right now so I'm just going to do my best...))

"Sure did get dark quick, Well, at least it should make for an easier getaway, eh?" he glanced at the falcon beside him. "You, uh, you weren't too bad back there, Bird Lady,"

Airazor looked at Rattrap with a stern face. Inside, she was smiling at the comment. It did make her feel good that her efforts went appreciated, especially from the hardest bot to please in the whole Beast Wars. On the outside though, her beak in beast form prevented her from displaying any real emotions. "Thanks." She said slowly before a long pause. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and return to her usual self. "I'd return the positive comment, but I did all the work." She said again jokingly. It wasn't meant for her to sound arrogant, but it was true.

The flare soon went up on the sky and it was time to rumble again. Rattrap did all the planning with their leader before they were to move back in on Iron Claw's signal.

"Airazor, take to the air an' cover Ironclaw. Let 'im know he ain't alone. I'll catch up on foot."

With a quick beat of her wings, she took off like a rock towards the location of her friend. They hadn't traveled far from the Predicon base, so it didn't take her very long to return to the scene of the crime. Ironclaw however, was nowhere to be found. What she did see was a plume of smoke coming from what appeared to be a collapsed tunnel. I don't remember there being a tunnel here before... she thought while hovering over the location that the flare was fired from. Turning on her optical zoom, she surveyed the landscape but found no signs of Ironclaw. She did however, catch a glimpse of a few predicons. "Airazor to Rattrap: Starshadow ran off towards the Axalon like she's late for work. Besides that, I see no sign of Ironclaw. Perhaps the Preds got to him first or he found another way out."

OOC: Sorry Una and Darkspark.....I've been so tired lately that I didn't even try posting here....I'm not sure why I've been so wiped out. I've been getting to bed at the same time as usual. Maybe I'm just not sleeping well. Who knows.

Anyway, the plan at some point is to do as we discussed and have the Hybrid regain control, but I thought it'd make Tarantulas' job a little too easy if I did it right away.

BIC:

It was clear to Arachnitron that neither of the other two spiders had much faith in her dilapidated little vessel. She waited patiently while Tarantulas rattled off a list of tools he would need to better fix the ship. At least, on the outside it appeared she was waiting patiently. Inside her mind, there was a lot going on:

"What are you doing, Hybrid?" The Maximal hissed at the Hybrid distracting the Predacon from listening to the other two spiders' current discussion.

"Stay out of this Maximal! It doesn't concern you."

"I thought you and I agreed that it wasn't safe to be near the Predacons anymore. You know what's at stake."

"The Predacons made us this way. They can fix us. The Maximals can't handle us and our problem." The Hybrid answered repeating words the Predacon had used earlier. Though she sounded confident she was siding with the Predacon, deep down she still felt torn. The Predacon and Maximal were constantly competing for her allegiance. She wished it didn't always come down to her decision because both choices always appeared like the right thing to do.

Blackarachnia turned towards Arachnitron pulling the Predacon's attention away from the bickering voices inside her head.

"Watch him. He is a lunatic. Nothing more." She handed Arachnitron the little leash she had on Tarantulas. "I need to get a better laser coil than this if we are expecting to get this pod up in space. I will return." Transforming to her beast mode, she quickly headed back to the lair. She better high tail it before Tarantulas ruins this.

Arachnitron took the leash from the other widow and nodded with a dazed expression on her face. She looked almost as though she had just awoken from a dream. She was unusually docile. She retreated into her thoughts once more as Blackarachnia raced back to Tarantulas' lab.

"You're not going to cause me any trouble are you, Hybrid?" the Predacon snapped.

"I....I think it's best you and I switch. You can hold back the Maximal better than I can." the Hybrid suggested.

"You're insane! I'm in control, understand?! You'll just have to toughen up!" the Predacon ordered.

The Hybrid sighed. She sounded unconvinced. "I'll try my best."

Returning her attention to the Tarantula, Arachnitron sighed. She was suddenly aware that her new task was that of baby sitter and she was not amused. She narrowed her red optics.

"Well, Legs. Isn't there something you can be doing in the mean time?" she sassed hoping for something to pass the time while they waited for Blackarachnia to return with the supplies they would need.

(Nope! Your post is accurate. Tunnel wise, Drillclaw is a Mole.. that's what they do. As for not being detected, it's been pretty obvious from alot of episodes that the ships have trouble detecting anything underground. So I'm assuming they don't have ground penetrating radar. As for where Ironclaw is.. Dunno, where ever he wants, Badgers dig pretty well. As for knowing about the truce, only to the degree of what Rhinox mentioned on the radio. Finally It was basically to help out since Ironclaw was going to get ganged up on by the pred base with only Rattrap and Airazor being the closest for backup. )

Scorponok halted in his tracks, all eight of his legs clinging to the steep slope of the tunnel. The explosion shook the ground enough to cave in the walls. Lava proceeded to flow into the void, raising the heat warnings on the Predacon's systems.

"That rat's not allowed to shoot weapons!" he snarled.

Tempted to break the cease-fire agreement, Scorponok decided against it. He crawled out of the cave and waved to Terrorsaur.

"It's no good down there! The bedrock will eventually get too rough to penetrate, so he'll have to pop up eventually!"

Terrorsaur nodded and continued to glide. They simply had to play the waiting game now. Should Ironclaw remain in his beast mode, the pterodactyl could simply swoop in an gobble the little furball up. He'd tell Megatron that he was hungry and thought the badger was food. Squawking in excitement, Terrorsaur flapped his wings once more and descended at a lower elevation to get a better view of the moon-lit ground.

"Are you ordering me, Tarantulas?" She asked blinking her optics seductively at Tarantulas though her tone was on a slope of threatening.

Narrowing her optics, she went to inspect the pod, checking it out. Many of the consoles were trashed, sparking ferociously. It could be fixed, but it seemed they were need a power core and...like Tarantulas said, a laser coil. Checking her supplies, she had everything but the laser coil was no where in sight or something to help power...dang it. She didn't want to leave Arachnitron and Tarantulas together. Something told her she was going to be stabbed in the back. Arachnitron wasn't all there it seemed and she noticed Tarantulas eyeing her with interest.

Aww, you want another mate? Tsk tsk tsk.

Not wanting to attempt Tarantulas' little statement, she looked at Arachnitron with a warning, "Watch him. He is a lunatic. Nothing more." She handed Arachnitron the little leash she had on Tarantulas.

"I need to get a better laser coil than this if we are expecting to get this pod up in space. I will return." Transforming to her beast mode, she quickly headed back to the lair. She better high tail it before Tarantulas ruins this.

Tarantulas said nothing in response to Blackarachnia's seductive winks or threatening tone, he was merely grateful that the over confidant she-devil had fallen for his ploy and was now off on a mission to obtain the tools and parts he needed to "fix the ship." Bah, there was nothing in his lab that could repair this wreck, for that, they'd need to seek another source entirely...But first things first, now that the witch was gone, he could begin work on winning over the lunatic, a task he had to accomplish before Blackarachnia returned.

"With any luck, the safeguards I installed in my lair after all those other unwelcome visits I received will keep her occupied long enough to make Arachnitron see things my way...Or flat out destroy her, Primus forbid, heh heh heh" Tarantulas chuckled inwardly as he turned his attention back to Arachnitron.

Returning her attention to the Tarantula, Arachnitron sighed. She was suddenly aware that her new task was that of baby sitter and she was not amused. She narrowed her red optics.

"Well, Legs. Isn't there something you can be doing in the mean time?" she sassed hoping for something to pass the time while they waited for Blackarachnia to return with the supplies they would need.

Tarantulas merely stared at Arachnitron, smirking creepily with his optics, amused by her transparent demeanor, and replied "Perhaps, though instead of wasting my time on that twisted mess, how about I help you with your problems my dear? Hhhmmm?"

Tarantulas flexed his leg turrets just to be safe, ready to fire on the female holding his leash if she reacted violently to his allusion to her personality disorder. When dealing with the irrational, it was best to be cautious, though he felt he was getting a better understanding of her confused psyche the more he watched and listened to her...Poor Blackarachnia, probably thought he merely had a crush on the new female, or planned to simply take her out while they were alone, she'd regret harboring such low opinions of him, DEARLY.

(This post is really an extention of the previous one. I realize Ironclaw needs to do something in order to get some attention.)

Once Ironclaw was completely out of the whole he transformed into robot mode. He brought his wrist close to his mouth and opened a communication channel an dhoped some one was out there. "This is Ironclaw, I have sucessfully infiltrated the Predacon base and retrieved the data. I'm waiting for extraction, is anyone out there?" he said looking to the skies for Optimus.......or Terrosaur.

It wasn't long now that Megatron saw his ship coming into sight, though all the while he wondered what the Predacons had been up to while he was away or if any had taken notice of his absence. Though it was clear soon that something was indeed going on, two shapes in the sky made the Predacon leader slow a bit as his gaze focused on the skies, optic sensors allowing to zoom in slightly before he could make out what they were, or show it be who. One had been the obvious form of Terrorsaur before he had flown a little lower and another was the falcon maximal Airazor, making him taps his claws together in thought. Had the talk Optimus had wanted been his own ploy so his maximals could sneak in or had something else been behind it besides the little chat? Either way it was quite a turn of events and from what he could see his Predacons were incredibly spread out, possibly looking for others.

Then a voice nearby plus a scent captured Megatron's attention, the purple t-rex walking slowly towards a ledge to see Ironclaw calling for back up. It was time the Predacons had a little bit more organization in this little search when they seemed too scattered for his taste,"Terrorsaur worry about the airborne Maximal more then our ground foes, she will be a primary help to the Maximals and spotting the rest of our forces. Those closest to me will aid in ridding of this Maximal furball while all others converge on any remaining Maximals, that includes all available units." He ordered over the communications, emphasizing all with a threatening tone to show he wouldn't tolerate any disobedience, not this time. Too long had most of the Predacons decided to ignore many of his orders or run away, he was getting tired of the insolence and wouldn't allow it to happen on his watch, or at least to the great degree it had occurred so far.

=========

Onyx had paused in his run, kicking up dust as his hooves skidded on the dusty, barren ground. There seemed so much going on at once he didn't quite know where to go or what he could be doing. For now he could only turn his head, his gaze searching the landscape for the escaped Maximal intruder and soon spotted Airazor once more in the air yet short one rat, now making him wonder where Rattrap could have gone. The Maximals were proving quite formidable foes the longer they fought them and the more the black stallion watched, observing how they seemed to work one another almost with little to no flaws compared to most of his companions the last couple of day and how they seemed much more understanding individuals.

Though Onyx soon snapped out of his straying thoughts with surprise to suddenly hear Megatron, not only the fact of his voice but more of how he was finally doing something against the Maximals himself. Hopefully he would be true to his own truce and not allow the others to fire upon each other, it would just prove they really couldn't keep it and he genuinely thought Megatron was trying to get a more different solution to this war other then meaningless violence and misguided thoughts. But seeming as the stallion wasn't too close to the t-rex and Airazor would be too far and fast in the air he decided to look for Rattrap as instructed, turning his course to where he saw the falcon rise into the air and took off in full gallop to go after the rat and chase him away from their territory.

Least that was main intention was, not to harm someone too badly.

Frilla wrote:Hey Cheetor. Looks like the Leviathan hasn't lost it's touch.

"You're tellin' me," he answered her. He turned on his torch and was just about to set to work when the message came in. It was drowned out by the sound of his torch, but he could tell somebody was saying something.

Rhinox wrote:This is Rhinox reporting. Ironclaw has fired an S.O.S. in deep Predacon territory. Despite the truce that we have with Megatron, we need to help him out. I'm sending coordinates to everyone, but only those able to deploy are obligated to take up this mission. Rhinox out!

What?

Cheetor turned off the tool and looked to Frilla. "Did you hear that?"

Wintersong wrote:All maximals besides Frilla and Saber-Fang report to the Darkside, time for phase two and to give some help to Airazor, Rattrap, and Ironclaw.But stick to the truce of a cease-fire.

"Wait..." he answered Wintersong on his com-link. "Did you really mean the Darksyde? Phase two of what?" Maybe... he'd heard Optimus talking to Airazor, Rattrap and Ironclaw about something, but it seemed kinda confidential, and he was busy with the computers anyways. Of course, after Optimus was done talking with them, they all left the ship, so something probably was up.

Cheetor placed his torch right on top of the broken turret in case Frilla needed it, and because he didn't really have time to put it away.

"I guess... see ya' later, Frilla."

He quickly dashed to the roof hatch and dropped in, transforming to beast mode as soon as his feet hit the floor so that he stopped most of his momentum with his paws. Hardly a moment later, he was on the elevator, taking it down. And as soon as that was done, he was off running, kicking up dust behind himself.

((OOC: Dinobot needs to wait for Saber-Fang? Or maybe I should just move on...))

With the Predacons delayed, Drillclaw made it along her tunnel towards Ironclaw's direction. Reaching the hole made by Ironclaw, she popped her head out with her clawed hands at the edges to hold herself up as she looked around, the tentacles on her snout wiggling in a disgusting manner. You know.. it might be better if you took cover.. If you don't want the Preds tearing you apart anyway.

Drillclaw then noticed he appeared to be looking up towards the sky. She glanced up herself, noticing another flyer in the air, similar but different from the other one. Another flier to the south east.. I'm guessing one of theirs.. but it seems like it's flying towards us. Could be return Patrol.. could be your friends. she said in a strangely aloof manner, then glanced down observing the area. ... Well whatever you do kid, you better do it now. I detect more coming and I'm pretty sure that big one on two legs is their leader.

Drillclaw transformed, standing in the hole, she raised her right arm as the massive claw transformed into a drill. The drill spun swiftly and stopped, she then slammed it into the ground as it spun, shooting up rock as she dove under the surface, the earth budging at the surface while parts of this freshly made tunnel collapsed unable to support itself behind her, moving surprisingly swiftly considering it was underground.

Did he mind her asking?

...No, no. Too few had bothered to know enough about her in the past.

"Her name was Pinpoint."

The response hung in the quiet air long after it was spoken, for Whitegrazer seemed lost in thought, and Steelclaw was caught thinking about the name, and everything it had once meant.

Pinpoint. Got it. She would be sure to research her through Axalon database if there was anything on her. Hopefully, there was so she could learn more about this individual.

The Predacon shrugged.

"I can't say what you were like back on Cybertron, so I don't know if you're the kind of person I'm fighting against. You must understand, Whitegrazer: I can only act on what I believe; not on what you believe. I came here with a specific goal, and where you Maximals seek to stop us Predacons, I must contend with you. It seems your crew's mission to stop us, and so, where we press our goal, you must contend with us as well.

"That is the sum of our relationship. Whether that makes us 'enemies' is irrelevant. But if you're asking whether I like it- if I take pride or joy in fighting you or any on your side- then the answer is 'no.' As I once told your comrade, Orcariner, it bothers me.

"You are not my enemy, Steelclaw nor are your comrades."

And she said that truthfully despite the fact that she found some of them questionable and crazy--actually, she shouldn't be talking since she has been told that she, herself, is crazy or suicidal by her comrades--,but, for example, Manterror who always screamed and bought chaos to the battlefield whenever he arrived that she actually felt sorry for the guy. Some seem devoid of mercy or compassion. Glowstick, Steelclaw, Onyx...seemed so reasonable and noble compared to many, but it bothered her that one day the chaos they were around would swallow them whole.

"It bothers me too, but I have to be honest with you. You fight with noble intentions: to free an oppressed people. I admire and respect that yet despite your intentions, the fact remains that you are aiding Megatron, a dangerous criminal who holds a priceless artifact covered in mystery and death, gather up energon to start a war. I cannot allow another Great War to begin. Not because I disagree with you or your people's fight against oppression or agree with the High Council, but because I don't want to see another billion-year or more war plague our planet once again. I believe there is another way. I believe we are not beyond peace. I still hold a high belief that both of our sides can co-exist."

"Speaking of 'us Predacons', do you know what happened to Sonar, or is that a tactical secret?"

Whitegrazer smiled, "Sonar is fine and unharmed. I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I hope you can understand my reasons from one soldier to another. I wouldn't expect you to indulge me in your side's tactical secrets but I can relieve fears. That can be a rule we can agree on when we continue these peaceful discussions."

"How is Arachnitron? I hope she is okay, but I have faith Glowstick will take great care of her. That's all the others and I want for her."

Whitegrazer was unaware of Glowstick's demise, unaware of the danger that Arachnitron could be in.

((OOC: I will post for Blackarachnia later. I still have to figure out how I'm going to write what I plan to happen. Exciting. ))

(( OOC: Blazemane, I would move on with Dinobot if you want to. N-H didn't seem to know how long she would be off-line, according to her post in the Rant forum.

Great post for Megs, Wildfire! ))

"Rhinox already gave a first announcement but I'll relay this before he's too far ahead."

"Copy, Wintersong," Optimus returned. So, Rhinox was functional now, and already on his way. That was good news to Primal.

"This is Ironclaw, I have sucessfully infiltrated the Predacon base and retrieved the data. I'm waiting for extraction, is anyone out there?"

Picking up Ironclaw's verbal transmission as the Maximal leader carrying Aurora approached the Darksyde's air space, he responded to him and all nearby Maximal frequencies, "Ironclaw, this is Optimus. We read you loud and clear, and we're rolling in. Just keep moving." Now it was time to start thinking of somewhat less painful ways to slow the Predacons down so all of the Maximals involved could get away without using fire power.

"Thanks." "I'd return the positive comment, but I did all the work."

"Hah!" Rattrap laughed back at Airazor when he had taken off on his little legs. Still running as fast as his feet would let him, he continuously watched the skies for any aerial Preds and around him for any ambushes as he made his way toward Ironclaw's location. Just when the badger had chimed, so did Airazor, but since the boss monkey answered Ironclaw first, Rattrap decided to focus on the falcon's communication.

"Airazor to Rattrap: Starshadow ran off towards the Axalon like she's late for work. Besides that, I see no sign of Ironclaw. Perhaps the Preds got to him first or he found another way out."

"Thank goodess fer your eyes in the skies," he smirked at her. "Better watch yer back for Terrorsaur, Airazor," the rat said more seriously. "He's known ta pick a fight with you." He and Waspinator would be difficult to see in the dark in their beast modes flying around. Fortunately, someone like Inferno with his blender butt propulsion, would be easier to see in robot mode, buzzing around in the night sky.

"Optimus," Rattrap called via comm. link between breaths, "Airazor saw that crazy cat Starshadow headin' toward our base. Just FYI."

"Is that so?" Primal responded rhetorically. He didn't know what she was up to but she wasn't going to get far before she'd bump into a Maximal or two.

"Maximals, this is Optimus. Be advised," he spoke to those who could hear his transmission. "Starshadow is enroute to the Axalon. I don't know what she's up to but I want her stopped before she reaches our base." Noticing a plume of smoke rising and dispersing in the air, Primal immediately grew concerned about the situation. What caused it and was anyone injured? Picking up Ironclaw's signal, he quickly descended toward his position to give him company and fight off any Predacons who might be on his tail.

"Aurora, hop off and glide down to Ironclaw. I need to revert to beast mode," Primal informed her, implying that he might have a rough landing and needed her off of him so he could transform immediately. For a while now, he had been feeling the effects of energon build-up gradually increasing. Clearly he had been in robot mode for far too long this evening. If there was any flying to be done during this evacuation, it would have be used in his robot mode sparingly.

Meanwhile, Rattrap grew quiet and had slowed down and stopped as soon as his ears picked up a four-legged gallop heading in his direction. With all of his feet on the ground, he could feel a slight tremble. Twitching his tail, he assumed it was either Steelclaw or Onyx. Great. Either way, it was a Predacon much larger than him. Without much cover nearby, he decided to scurry behind a boulder that was large enough to hide him easily, and it was big enough for him to climb up and be taller than either of them were in beast mode; perfect to use to his advantage if he wanted to hop on their back and go for a ride. The closer the gallop got, however, the more it sounded like hooved horse feet instead of padded bear feet. Hopefully this wouldn't be a horrible encounter given how Onyx seemed to avoid violence when possible. Taking a deep breath, Rattrap climbed up on the large rock and laid down close to it, blending in with it under the moonlight as well as he could, and waited for the right moment to pounce if Onyx continued on his path.

-----

"Yeah," "I could use the help if you're willing to stay. Don't know exactly where his body is either, so I suppose I could use some direction."

Smiling lightly, the tiger in robot mode took a step back to give Orcariner plenty of room. This was a good start seeing him respond this way. "You do not have to suffer through this alone, Orcariner," Tigatron assured him. Then he proceeded to say, "Optimus had asked Whitegrazer to take Icebreaker to the infirmary." Gesturing an encouraging motion to follow him, he turned around and began walking back down the corridor toward the medical bay. He wasn't quite sure what to expect when they would find him there on a table, but hopefully Whitegrazer had had the time to fix him up to be at least a little more "presentable," especially for someone like Orcariner, who like Aurora, was mourning a very great loss.

(Just to point out, Onyx's profile lists him being 6 feet tall in robot mode, so he isn't THAT much bigger then Rattrap. Onyx makes a short rival for Whitegrazer, and makes me think his beast mode is the size of a Pony, so deffinately a good match for Rattrap. I'm thinking we might have to come up with a chart at some point, since Ironclaw seems to think he's as tall as Dinobot when his techspec is more around Cheetor's size.

Una: Er.. sorry Icebreaker is dead, if it makes you happier.. you can keep his gun? *LOL* Though I suppose compared to Glowstick who's spark was smashed to nothing, Icebreaker has a better chance at resurrection I guess..?)

(( OOC: @ una: I know Whitegrazer made Icebreaker pretty but Tigs doesn't know.


@ NK: Since Rhinox was much larger than Rattrap in beast mode (but not THAT much bigger in robot mode), I can only assume that Onyx is taller than Rattrap as well. Just about everyone is in their beast mode. Nothing unmatchable, but still, that's how I envisioned them. What kind of a horse is Onyx again? I know there are horses that are almost as small as ponies and still considered horses, but there is a size difference, and I don't think Rattrap comes close to either unless you're talking about minis. I can't see Rattrap being as big as the shetland pony my mom used to have, and he was pretty small for a pony.

And I'm sorry I'm not perfect about these sizes. It's difficult for me to remember how tall all of these OC's are (beast modes and robot modes) when they weren't on the show for comparison. It's close enough, for crying out loud. ))

((OOC: Oh! You guys saw my comment? I deleted it because I didn't want to fill the thread up with OOC comments. Oh well.

Wait, Onyx is a pony? ))