The Intergalactic Highway

Rhinox paused for a second before resuming his dietary actions. Starshadow really was as stealthy as her database profile had indicated. Nevertheless, the Maximal maintained his nonchalant demeanor. She continued saying something about flies and energon, but Rhinox paid no heed to her words. He merely focused on the task he had laid out for himself. Then, it happened.

"Well," he said, immediately looking up from his grub, "that certainly was something."

An audible sound came from within him that resembled liquid churning. He turned to face the panther with his eyes half dazed along with a strange smile.

"Listen here, missy, I really suggest that you turn back and go home. You're not go- "

He was cut off by a noisy lurch inside his torso. A foreboding groan ensued, but it was not from Rhinox's mouth.

"Nevermind," he said, turning around with his backside facing her, "It's too late for you now."

His whimsical tail shot straight up. What quickly followed was perhaps the second most disgusting thing that the rhinoceros had ever done. You know the resonating boom that a supersonic jet makes when it breaks the sound barrier? This was louder than that. Unleashed from the Maximal's bowels was a horrific amalgamation between hellish chaos and rat poison. One could describe the smell as the illegitimate child formed between the aftermath of food poisoning and a major landfill. Such a description would also be a severe understatement. The sheer force of his flatulence sent ripples throughout Rhinox's thick hide. He could not help but submit to the raw power of its force and crumbled to his knees. Eyes rolled back, his face turned an alarming shade of green in a futile attempt to block out the ghastly smell. Even the flowers nearby withered and crumbled. The birds ceased to sing their once delightful tunes, and they shall never again utter a single note due to the toxic gas corroding away their vocal chords. Such potency was not predicted even by the revered Maximal scientist who now leaned forward face down into the earth while his tail was still rigidly pointing to the stars. The flatulence continued to spew its seemingly never-ending stream of virtual death. Rhinox had hoped to avoid it by aiming specifically at Starshadow, but unfortunately, the smell affected them all. Sentinel's shields flickered with disgust, but luckily they held strong against the powerful force. He honestly hoped that Frilla would be ok inside the protective bubble. Rhinox made a mental note to personally apologize to her for the absolutely vulgar display. The waterfall's current seemed to have sped up as if it were crying in despair. Somewhere else on the planet, a volcano had erupted as the appalled planet's way of vomiting. The flatulence began to die down as its once thunderous roar degraded to a high-note whistle.

"Ugh," moaned Rhinox, "beans beans they're good for your spark, but the more you eat them the more you fa-"

A slightly louder pop came from his behind before it died down in a series of sputters. The Maximal officer painfully rested on his side, his lips trembling with great unease. He tried to breathe in order to regain his senses, but it certainly did not help due to the smell lingering in the atmosphere.


((OOC: I'll post for Orcariner later. I can't bring myself to write seriously after describing Rhinox's ordeal.))

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.

Dinobot sprang to attention, grumbling quietly.

"It appears this conversation must be resumed later," he observed. It was an awkward time to be interrupted, but he didn't really mind. Any opportunity to take on the Predacons was a good opportunity.

Without another word, he tore off down the hall and ran for the elevator like some of the others before him.

Optimus Primal wrote:Maximals, this is Optimus. Be advised. 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.

So that explained why the shield was up. Dinobot walked through barrier as his signature allowed him to do and ran in the Darksyde's general direction. If he ran into Starshadow, he would confront her, but the primary objective was still to reach the Predacon base (and so it was, that as he sprinted on, he completely missed the moment he went by Starshadow and Rhinox, who were off to his side.)

* * *

Whitegrazer wrote:You are not my enemy, Steelclaw nor are your comrades.

Hmm. Noble words. Maybe Whitegrazer wasn't condescending about everything. But if what she said was true, it was only going to make the inevitable conflict that much more painful.

Whitegrazer wrote: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.

"Well, I do want to get one thing straight here: Megatron is a very specific kind of criminal. A war criminal. He refused to give up the fight for Predacons long before most 'bots realized how unjust the Pax Cybertronia was going to allow Cybertronian civilization to be. So Maximal society have him the label they found most befitting.

"And I helped him steal the Golden Disk alongside the rest of the Darksyde crew. If that condemns Megatron, it condemns me, too. Your opinions on the matter are naturally going to be as strong as mine, so I don't know how much it matters for me to contend out loud that the theft was the first necessary step in what we've ventured out to accomplish, but... there you are.

"But if I may assume that you're biggest problem is that I seek to incite war, then none of that matters much anyways."

Steelclaw went silent for a moment to switch gears.

"Here's the problem: I've already told you that I believe our societies are beyond reconciliation. You believe they are not. Both of those opinions are very hard to switch. And unless one of us convinces the other, we're going to stay in conflict. I'm not entirely sure what you called me out here for, but if it was to find out what keeps me fighting, I'm fairly certain you've got it now, and if it was to find out whether we can stop fighting, well... now you at least know why I don't think we can.

"As for Arachnitron- yeah, she's fine. I'm not really ashamed to admit that she is being allowed to act as a regular crew member; we thought she was a prisoner of yours, so we weren't trying to take her by force, we were trying to rescue her."

Of course, if she wasn't all Predacon, he couldn't guarantee how long she would stay safe. If Megatron couldn't trust something as basic as her race, there was no guarantee he would fully accept her help, or her presence. Of course, as Whitegrazer herself had pointed out, perhaps with Glowstick there to...

Steelclaw felt the force of the re-realization hit him in a mixture of loss, horror (at the memory of his death) and reactionary stoicism. No, Glowstick wasn't going to be there to protect Arachnitron, like he wasn't going to be there to watch over the group any more, and like he wasn't going to be there to stay some of the Predacons' more vindictive impulses against each other and against the Maximals (he had just saved Feralnight's life that very morning, hadn't he? Hadn't he saved her from Megatron himself? It was an underhanded rescue, to be sure, making her into an unwitting spy, but the second, and perhaps craftier, trick he had pulled off was convincing Megatron not to kill her under the guise of making her useful to the Predacons.)

He felt a sudden, aching, demanding, crying temptation to let Whitegrazer know what had happened to Glowstick right then and there. He didn't know how to speak of these things around those he knew well; maybe with somebody he could label as an outsider and who he wouldn't have to live with every moment, he could truly say everything on his processor.

But he knew even in that moment of indecision that he would regret it. It would be another act of goodness Whitegrazer could vaunt in the future (and her sympathy would be something, that, for once, he could actually agree was an act of goodness, rather than falsely perceived self-righteousness); a secret to manipulate in future confrontation, whether that confrontation was violent or intellectual.

He pushed everything back and deflected calmly.

"And I'll take that as a 'Sonar is in your team's custody.'" Steelclaw gave a beleaguered sigh. "For someone with a genius intellect, that was a pretty stupid move."

Yes, it was technically possible that Sonar flew away from her base unharmed and that Steelclaw just hadn't seen him yet, but Whitegrazer's response was evidence of the way Steelclaw thought processors to be wired- people don't try to conceal things if those things are no longer an issue to them. If she could not speak of Sonar's state, than Sonar's state was something worth not speaking about.

Just then, something totally unexpected happened.

Megatron wrote: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.

Steelclaw up and off to the distance quizically.

"I could've sworn he said we had a truce going when we got back to base earlier today." He looked back at Whitegrazer. "I'd offer to race you there, but I try to avoid bruising my ego unnecessarily."

* * *

Cheetor was... confused when he got to the scene.

He could see Optimus out there, and Aurora gliding above him, but Cheetor wasn't sure what they were doing. And then, Megatron was pretty close by, which was weird enough, but he was being attacked by a shape he couldn't even really make out. It had to be some'bot, but he'd never met him or her before.

And Wintersong was on the ground not too far away from everyone, too. And Ironclaw was between her and Megatron, shouting something he couldn't hear.

Way up in the sky, Terrorsaur and Airazor were fighting each other, which made sense, but then, Feralnight was divebombing what didn't look like... anything, and Onyx was standing by some rocks. Just standing there. Maybe his mouth was moving.

So... what did Big 'Bot want? Was there a fight going on or wasn't there?

Cheetor figured he may as well chase Onyx off. So he ran towards him, not caring that they were directly facing each other.

((OOC: I know Rattrap's about to jump on Onyx; I'm not trying to stop that.))

(( OOC: Wow, Mystrea! Your post was so contradictory to Ironclaw's first interaction with Optimus that he's really going to be confused. You weren't kidding about butting heads. I sense a possible demotion coming after this stunt, though.

I would have to agree with Phoenix on those issues she pointed out. Does Drillclaw even know who she's fighting and which team is which? By the way, the next time (if ever) I can actually have another fight between OP and Megatron, I will expect no interruptions from anyone else. I hate it when these things happen AFTER I post because I basically have no say in directing the Maximals with orders before they've already moved. And, NK, try not to be a glory hound. Other players want to have some fun, too; players whose OC bios were approved appropriately prior to playing in the game.

I will also have to agree that there are enough characters now with names that have "claw" in them. Time to show a little more creativity with those.

@ Phoenix: I apologize for assuming that Aurora had landed. I kind of thought she hadn't, and I thought about editing my post accordingly, but I figured you'd clarify it in yours anyway. Thank you.

Also, guys, we can only ASSUME that Megatron was caught off guard by Drillclaw. Until Wildfire posts her (Megatron's) reaction to the attack, we can't really say that Megs was taken down. Or that Wintersong was thrown off of a cliff because she hasn't caught up yet either. ))

IC:

"You okay, Optimus?," "It looks like we have some unwanted company."

The gorilla only nodded as an answer for Aurora as he suddenly tried grasping the whole situation. When she mentioned having more company, thankful for her being a look-out right now for them, it made Optimus begin searching their surroundings with his eyes as he and Ironclaw stood there. He thought he had seen a glimpse of Feralnight pass by the stars before swooping in somewhere. But where were Rattrap and Airazor? His Maximals were far too spread out.

"You won't be going anywhere in one piece Primal I will..."

As soon as Optimus turned toward Megatron upon hearing his outraged voice, - obviously having put two-and-two together now - he suddenly saw Wintersong pounce in and throw herself at the very large dinosaur. Had they kept moving like he ordered Ironclaw to, Megatron would've been unlikely to keep up and they would have lost him. Which also may very well have prevented Wintersong from deciding to pull that stunt. But for some reason, Ironclaw wasn't moving at all. In fact, he had completely ignored everything Optimus had said.

"I'll talk to you later"

Wait. What? Who ever spoke to him like that? Well, Rattrap had his moments, and Dinobot had his disagreements, but to say nothing but that and not even look at Optimus? Incredibly vexed at this point by Ironclaw's actions, and very concerned for Wintersong's well-being - once more throwing herself into sheer danger - Primal darted back after the badger and the tigress only to suddenly find a new bot attacking Megatron. Was it a distraction? She was the scent he had caught earlier but he had no idea who she was. Whatever was really going on, now was the time to pull out.

"Wintersong!" "Now we should definitely go"

"WINTERSONG!" He cried out after her, watching in horror as Megatron retaliated her maneuver. We should've been gone a long time ago! Primal growled in his mind, aggravated by Ironclaw's disobedience. Optimus would have handled Megatron had it come to it. He wouldn't have wanted anyone else to try and deal with him. Primal had the ability, strength and endurance with his beast mode far better than any other Maximal to battle the t-rex. It was his responsibility. Whether or not Ironclaw's last statement was meant to order everyone to leave, that was not how it should be performed. There were Maximals elsewhere who wouldn't have been able to hear them. Frustrated by this point and not wanting this retrieval to turn into an all-out fist fight, it was time the Maximal Commander wrangled his Maximals before anything else got out of hand.

Opening a communication link to all Maximals in the area, he said, "This is Optimus Primal. All units, retreat back to Base immediately! We have what we came for."

Looking up at Aurora in the air, he abruptly motioned her to get moving. She was the last one he wanted her to get caught in a fight, and her white beast mode made her stand out like a sore thumb. "Make sure it's clear up ahead," he instructed her.

"Move out!" Primal told Ironclaw with a glare as he hurried by him on his knuckles after Wintersong ((assuming she was smacked off of the cliff [when Wintersong posts, we'll find out], which in turn wouldn't really make much sense to put Ironclaw between her, or rather the cliff, and Megatron because he could just as easily smack Iron off the cliff as well)). They had to move quickly while Megatron was pre-occupied with the other female. Was Optimus the only one who didn't underestimate the Predacon leader? Ironclaw had no idea who he was up against. Megatron was not so merciful, and after this sneaky intrusion that Optimus had organized, the gorilla knew he was not in a good mood. Anger often fueled Megatron's power and unpredictability. It was extremely dangerous, and if they lost Ironclaw - whether it be by life, Primus forbid, or by taken prisoner - , their entire mission would be a failure and everything they gained by him would have been for not. That's why Optimus wanted him out of there immediately. He could handle the rest.

-----

"Alright Rattrap I know your here and there isn't any need to hide, I am asking you kindly to leave before we end up with more conflicts then needed today."

Rattrap flattened his ears as he heard Onyx trot closer and slow down and began cautiously walking by the boulder he was hiding on. Unfortunately, horses' eyes were on the sides of their head, so they could see just about everything around them quite well. But Rattrap had darkness on his side, so he simply waited until the black stallion walked past far enough before he crawled all the way over the rock and sprang off of it. However, because of the Predacon's words, he decided not to land on his back. Instead, the rat landed on all-fours on the other side of the horse with a thud on the dirt, just trying to surprise him and show him how easy it was for him to try and spook him. Yes, because of Whitegrazer's fellow equine friends, he learned that horses scared easily. Did it work for mech equines as well? He was about to find out.

"All right, Onyx," the rat said as he stood up on his hind feet. "For once, I'll agree with ya. I ain't lookin' fer trouble," Just tryin' ta slow ya down so you don't chase after Ironclaw, he added in his thoughts.

"This is Optimus Primal. All units, retreat back to Base immediately! We have what we came for."

Saved by the monkey! After hearing the ape's call over his comm. link, Rattrap said with the addition of pretending to look at a watch on his wrist, "Awe gee, look at the time. I'm late fer dinner. Gotta go!"

However, even though it had been his intention to scare Onyx out of his hooves, Cheetor managed to fly in out of no where and nearly scared the fur off of Rattrap. Where the heck did he come from?! "Yo, Spots!" he called to him, trying to pretend he hadn't freaked him out a moment ago. "Take it easy. Yer late to the party. We gotta amscray."

(ooc: ... wow.. Go figures I had to have put a can of beans in our dinner tonight and then seeing Rhinox' post. Yuck!

The entire scenario with Megs was a bit confusing so I apologize if I missed out on anything vital. I had been under the impression that Wintersong was a distance away from Primal, Aurora and Ironclaw when the Megs thing happened. So I wasn't sure if Megs was actually talking to Primal, or doing one of his common self-speeches. Everything happened so suddenly I kind of got lost in the flow.)

(... This is why I stated the idea of a battle map. It would tell the terrain of the environment, as well as where everybody is. .. I'll start working on them. I wont go as crazy as I mentioned before about people specifying where they are on the map, but will apply speed stat and certain other things to movements on the map. Since.. movement speeds for certain characters should of prevented some of the Maximals from even reaching the base on time without the use of a transport.

As for Drillclaw, technically she's only be going by assumption. Megatron was near other preds and they weren't attacking him, clearly he probably is a pred. She assumed Ironclaw was a maximal because he was being chased by the others, and had to confirm it when she grabbed him as otherwise she would of probably started attacking him if he didn't have visible Maximal symbols. And she learned of the Truce because of Ironclaw and Rhinox on the radio. As for approval, I believe the character is approved but not entirely sure, the character has even been reduced in skills and equipment.

Now as for stealing glory from Wintersong.. I'm not entirely sure how I could do that if Megatron is smacking her like a baseball. Yes, I might have made things easier for Ironclaw since he was being chased by Onyx,Scorponok,Starshadow,Cecaelia,Terrorsaur, and then having Megatron join in finally.)

((OOC: Currently...Rhinox had just reminded me of how my brother used to fart infront of my face...Nasty! Rhinox! You're not supposed to fart at a lady! and I ate baked beans today at school. Ewww....xD ))

"I wouldn't want to be standing there Starshadow otherwise I hope you haven't had your daily grooming."

"It's not like he's going to drown me in a bucket of slime or waste materials..."

"Listen here, missy, I really suggest that you turn back and go home. You're not go- "

"Hmm?"

"Nevermind, it's too late for you now."

He was facing his butt at her. What is this maximal trying to do?

"That is rude of you! Facing your aft is most-"

He raised his little tail which was accompanied by a big and powerful force of an extremely pungent blue gas which sent the panther flying to a rocky wall above the ground. After the winds of chaos calmed down, Starshadow's body dropped on the ground sideways.

"This...is the most humiliating attack I have took in my whole entire career..." she said while coughing out some blue gas of horror and stood up quite unsteadily. The smell was intolerable as she started vomitting. Now she smelled as horrible as Sonar before the bath, or worse. The panther ran out of the area and made a U-turn towards the base while holding a deep breath.

Watching Megatron stumble the tigress smiled, thinking the ploy had worked and looked towards the others in hopes that it would give the others time to move. But the purple dinosaur's words captured her attention once more, her amber eyes widening as Megatron's tail came right at her, smacking her hard in the shoulder and side, making her grunt and bowling her over. It was also enough force it rolled her over completely and to the cliff ledge behind her, hardly giving her time to latch onto the ledge with her claws. During the whole thing she heard an unfamiliar voice yell out to her and she rolled her eyes, 'Who you calling a kitten?'She thought with irritation, trying to pull herself up and her back paws slipping on the side, making it difficult to pull up.

But at the same time of nearly tumbling over she heard some of the others call her name, many concerned and to her slight surprise Ironclaw showed up. "You know I would have gotten right on that but you guys don't seem to get the concept of running while you got the chance."She growled, "Maximize."Transforming she used her claws, still unsheathed, and pulled up before pushing with a foot for extra leverage to finally climb up next to the honey badger, looming back towards Optimus as he was approaching.

"Come on Ironclaw, like you and Primal said we got to go."She said as she put a hand on his arm."Let's go."She said once more before turning and jumped forward as she transformed and hurried over to meet Primal, knowing she would get an earful for recklessness but as she met the gorilla she quickly glanced at him,"Optimus I'm sorry for that stunt but I wanted to buy you guys time, it hopefully won't happen again."She said Ina brief pause before glancing back, hoping the others would listen and come on.

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

On the other side of the conflict Snow Trix had continued to make her way towards the opposite end of the territory, but paused when she head something. It was faint and she for a moment just stood there before shaking her head, pushing on again as she just blew it off as the wind. She didn't realize that behind her was the maximal fuzor Feralnight aimed to follow her.

((OOC: A few things:

1.) Terrorsaur is occupied with Airazor, Starshadow's... miles away(?) and occupied with Rhinox, Onyx is with Rattrap and Cecaelia seems to have disappeared. So if anyone really is trying to get Ironclaw right now, it's Megatron and Scorponok, although Scorponok doesn't seem to be anywhere close to Ironclaw right now. So Ironclaw isn't in danger from numbers, although Megatron is singularly a formidable threat. Drillclaw's needing to attack Megatron is debatable.

2.) With that said, I don't see why Drillclaw can't attack Megatron, just as I don't see why Wintersong couldn't attack him, and why Ironclaw couldn't put himself in Megatron's way. Optimus had just ordered a retreat, so Wintersong's actions amount to disobedience, and Ironclaw getting in the way is tactically unsound, but, with all due respect, Optimus' calling a retreat indicated to me a lack of will to fight Megatron, not an affirmation that Optimus had dibs on fighting him.

The only reason I can see why Optimus would attack Megatron is because Wintersong suddenly attacked him. But after that point, it was anybody's right to defend her.

3.) Of course, defending Wintersong is another problem in itself in that it indicates Wintersong needed defending- I've spoken of this before, so I understand I'm going to sound repetitive, but I still personally prefer that authors don't dictate the results of attacks (and other actions) on other characters. So, yes, I think Wintersong had a right to say whether Wintersong was batted away by Megatron, and yes, I think Wildfire has a right to say whether Megatron gets uppercutted and/or tripped by Drillclaw.

I've wondered about it before, but given the OOC comments in this thread, it does seem like I'm not the only one who feels that way. As I have also said before, if players want power-playing to be allowable, we should definitely leave that option open to discussion, but if the consensus is that we don't power-play, then, well, let's not.

But what I think I'm seeing is that some people find power-play useful for the speed and content of the game, and therefore will not only use power-playing, but willingly accept when other players use it against their own characters (which seems fair), while others, like myself, avoid using it and dislike having it used against our characters. So... we should get this figured out definitively.

4.) I personally think NaitoKage's reasoning as to how Drillclaw could know who is enemies with whom is sound. And I should have voiced whatever constitutes my official approval of Drillclaw's character earlier (and by now, I have in the other thread), but yes, I at least approve of Drillclaw.

5.) ...Is there any other ongoing debate in this thread I haven't covered?))

( For 1: That was stated when Ironclaw was first being chased. That's no longer the case. Also agreed on Starshadow being miles away with Rhinox, just like Wintersong being at the Pred base with Cheetor already. Cheetor I have no problem with him being there, he has the highest speed in the game, he should be first before ANY land unit other then outrunning the Nomad.

As for the Drillclaw attack on Megatron. Those attacks can miss. He's fast enough to dodge a Uppercut/Shoryuken, and just hop over a sweep. It's always up to the players and their ability to out think one another. )

((OOC: Wait, why are we debating? ))

Orcariner listened to Tigatron's response, but it only angered him further. That was not what the giant had wanted to hear. He wanted results. He wanted someone to answer for Icebreaker's death. Maybe his fellow teammate actually knew the answer but did not want to reveal the identity. Orcariner's paranoia darkened him even more with his mind now suspicious of the tiger. Suddenly, he wished he was alone and that Tigatron was out in battle rather than standing behind him. There was a secret to be kept, and the orca planned on finding out what it was and why it was hidden from him.

He's telling the truth.

The giant cringed at the sudden appearance of his conscience. Orcariner tried to shake it off for he preferred to side with the suspicious thoughts instead. He took a deep breath, and found even that to be a challenge.

You need to calm down. Just do what he says. You're in no position to argue right now.

Taking another deep breath, Orcariner exhaled with a sigh of defeat. The intense curiosity for the identity of Icebreaker's killer still lingered, but at least he had his priorities now. Taking care of the body came first and foremost. Revenge will have to wait its turn. Knowing Rhinox's meticulous nature, Orcariner estimated that the Sentinel program would have security cameras in every room and hallway aside from the private quarters for each crewmate. The orca could simply wait until after the funeral to review the tapes and dig up his answers then.

"Alright," he finally said, "Let's take care of him."

Finding some nearby unused equipment, Orcariner removed the shells and external covers, piling them near Icebreaker's body. He was far from an artistic craftsman, but he would at least put forth his entire effort to make a well-suited coffin for the penguin.

(( OOC:

Terrorsaur is occupied with Airazor,

I don't think they've actually engaged each other yet. It was implied but unless I missed a post, I don't think they've actually even spoken to each other let alone chase one another yet.

Starshadow's... miles away(?) and occupied with Rhinox,

Yes, much farther away at the Axalon while the majority of the Maximals are at the Darksyde.

With that said, I don't see why Drillclaw can't attack Megatron,

It wasn't just Megatron where this complaint of NK using Drillclaw to pop up out of the ground and interfer even though she might not know what's going on, it was also her assisting Ironclaw when Airazor and Rattrap were right there to do their job and help him escape. But that's over, right? Moving on.

just as I don't see why Wintersong couldn't attack him, and why Ironclaw couldn't put himself in Megatron's way.

All of that is fine with me. When I post for Optimus, I'm not trying to make anything personal. He's the commanding officer and he's going to get pissed when his Maximals disobey him. He's supposed to be the better judgement of situations and know when to fight or when to retreat. I was cool with Wintersong attacking Megatron, but Optimus is going to be upset about it because this is the hundredth time she's put herself in grave danger. And I was fine with Ironclaw defending her against Megatron. But again, from Primal's point of view, all of this could have been avoided had Ironclaw followed his leader's orders to leave immediately.

with all due respect, Optimus' calling a retreat indicated to me a lack of will to fight Megatron, not an affirmation that Optimus had dibs on fighting him.

I was not intending on having Optimus fight Megatron this time. I was just throwing in my gripe about that because I've had only... what, one fight with Megatron through this entire game so far? Come on, they're enemies and both leaders! Who doesn't want to see them duke it out every once in a while? Battle of the wits and power. So I apologize for any confusion on that. The Maximals were only supposed to slow the Predacons down so Ironclaw could escape and the Preds would eventually give up and let the Maximals go. Optimus wasn't looking for anyone to go into an all-out brawl with any of them.

but I still personally prefer that authors don't dictate the results of attacks (and other actions) on other characters. So, yes, I think Wintersong had a right to say whether Wintersong was batted away by Megatron, and yes, I think Wildfire has a right to say whether Megatron gets uppercutted and/or tripped by Drillclaw.

Agreed. I know I'm not perfect, but I do try to pay attention to other characters' and their movements and involvements in these huge scenarios, and I try to give them options on how to react. I don't think I've been doing too bad with that, but it astounds me that we're this far into the game (over how many years now?), and people are still having a difficult time grasping this concept? Apparently I haven't been "punishing" anyone enough about this in order to make it a minimal issue.

But what I think I'm seeing is that some people find power-play useful for the speed and content of the game, and therefore will not only use power-playing, but willingly accept when other players use it against their own characters (which seems fair), while others, like myself, avoid using it and dislike having it used against our characters. So... we should get this figured out definitively.

Hm. It seems like it's a personal preference, which I'm not sure could be enforced unless someone really has a problem with how someone else attacked their character or moved them. Maybe there should be permission discussed first? I know Alak and I, and WorpeX and I, have done that before. Minor things but it did help keep the scene rolling instead of waiting for the other to post something so short and quick. I try avoiding it myself, especially in battle, because I don't think that's fair to control someone else. I want to see their reaction and how cunning their character can be.

I personally think NaitoKage's reasoning as to how Drillclaw could know who is enemies with whom is sound. And I should have voiced whatever constitutes my official approval of Drillclaw's character earlier (and by now, I have in the other thread), but yes, I at least approve of Drillclaw.

It's not just who is who, but what they're fighting for. Drilclaw is jumping into this rather blindly and I would think someone as new as her would rather sit on the sidelines and figure out what's going on before jumping in so abruptly. However, it's not like Optimus has ever declined the extra assistance. I think Drillclaw is a rather interesting individual and I'd like to see her character developed more. However, NK's characters have always had a habbit of "taking over" or "playing the hero".

@ Mystrea: Optimus "PRIMAL" won't demote Ironclaw since he did pull off the mission successfully, but he will have a talk with him about his disobedience. Sorry if I scared you about that. After some thought, I figured this would be more fair, and Optimus is a fair leader. Or he tries to be, anyway.

In any case, what's done is done, and I've since calmed down about what's been going on. I don't think anyone involved in the bigger fight right now should post until Wildfire catches up with Megatron. ))

((I don't really see how it was power playing to kind of skip the time of traveling to the Darkside or of my OC kind of just really distracting Megs. There were some who seemed to want the rp to move along thus the reason of having Wintersong finally arrive and I just saw an opening to prevent Megatron from attacking hence the reason Wintersong was aiming to pounce. I never said she attacked him and left it up for Wildfire to choose to have him hit.

I know that is possibly said and done but I thought it would be useful to put my imput in. It seemed like it ruffled a couple feathers so I hope it clarifies some things. But I wasn't trying to power play merely help move things along, from what I've seen some are anxious to continue on so I don't really see what the problem was.))

(Don't worry about it Wintersong. At the moment, everybody should focus on the Maximal retreat. I think more people were baffled about Starshadow running off to the Maximal base to get her gun when Ironclaw was no where near returning and he still had her gun. Though.. being blasted by Rhinox's .. Anal cannon probably is more then a fitting punishment..Ug. Well.. least nobody is peeing out fires yet.)

((The reason why I made Star run to the Axalon becauseeeee....:
- after the white powder of doom temporarily blinded her, she didn't know where Ironclaw went. And that was the part I ddn't know if he came out of the new or old tunnel. (I was a lil confused then but I didn't bother bringing that up.)

- Starshadow assume that when Iron got the info from the Darksyde, he would return to base to share it with his buddies. Since she's heading there she would come up with a sneak attack to get her gun back and force him to tell her what he found about the data he stole(if she could get him to talk without a fist landind on her face). Since sentinel is up, I just went "ahh frag...forget it.." and plan her to wait outside.

About Cecaelia's disappearance, I have no idea what to write for her part..since the maxies are going home, might as well say she's lazy.

Bleh! Anal cannon is never a fitting punishment for a lady. Curse you Alak!! =3= XD ))

"Thank goodess fer your eyes in the skies, Better watch yer back for Terrorsaur, Airazor, He's known ta pick a fight with you."

Airazor nodded to herself, realizing that Rattrap was correct. Terrorsaur and her seemed to have quite the history now with each other. They were two equally matched competitors in the sky and their battles usually ended in one of them seriously injured. She wouldn't want him to sneak up on her, especially not while she was in predicon territory. The idea of being captured and held as a prisoner was not very appealing, who knows what these dirty preds would do to her!

"Hugs for everybody!"

The voice of her enemy caught her attention and she turned to see Terrorsaur coming at her. Just as Rattrap had predicted! "Airazor, Maximize!" She called, returning to her true form. Once transformed, she stuck her arm out in Terrorsaur's direction and opened up the weapon hatch on her wrist. When an empty compartment was revealed, she was reminded of the truce. "Slag!" She cursed, realizing that she would have to deal with the Predicon in another way.

Lowering her arm, a brief moment of panic set in as she saw her opponent coming closer and closer while she stood motionless. Then, she got an idea. "Beast Mode." She said quietly, transforming again into her Falcon disguise. Her superior flight abilities in this mode would be of particular use to her for this stunt. Turning away from the predicon, she burst forward with as much speed as possible to try and get some distance on the predicon. Then, she, dropped into a nosedive towards the ground. She knew that Terrorsaur would be able to keep up with her, however, Airazor's aerobatics should be enough for her to win against her foe without ever having to touch him.

As she got closer and closer to the ground, the falcon didn't flinch. She pressed on at the same pace even with imminent danger rising towards her. It wasn't until she could practically smell the flowers and dirt that she made her move. Unfolding her wings, she let the air resistance break her speed before turning in a perfect 90 degrees. Her chest practically grazed the ground as she folded up her wings again and raced forward. Terrorsaur would never be able to perform such a tricky maneuver and she smiled to herself at the idea of him smashing into the ground.