"Other Visits"

[Wintersong]

((Throwing in a reply for Spineback real quick since haven't said anything for her in a little while. If this needs to be edited though DarkSpark just let me know.))

When going about her current duty in checking monitors, Spineback was becoming slightly on edge as it seemed...too quiet. It was rarely, if ever, this quiet in the base with someone boasting about their greatness, speaking of their own agendas, creepy cackling, something that made this place feel alive rather than a Cybertronian graveyard of dead robots. It was unsettling, especially when someone had been use to large groups of bots being around them, even if they were in the background. She may have hated listening to some of the usual personal problems of most of the Predacons but it did confirm that she wasn't somehow dead yet or at the very least dreaming away somewhere on Cybertron, being a figment of her imagination.

As if on cue though, the saurian femme thought she heard the sound of what might have been the start of a scuffle, causing her to stop typing and listen with some relief. Now that was what she was use to. The former Decepticon turned her helm slightly to listen, but the initial commotion ended quickly causing her to frown in disappointment before turning to press a few buttons in the hopes of bringing up some of the security footage. There she saw what appeared to be Umbra dealing with the usual trouble maker Starshadow, a femme of strange origins and a temper that might have made most Decepticons in the past shake to their very core. "Umbra, do you require assistance?" Spineback inquired over the com-link towards the squid.

Spineback may not like most of the Darksyde crew but she at least respected some of them, namely Megatron and Umbra up to this point but after hearing what occurred at the volcano she was growing a respect towards what she had heard were two other fellow former Decepticons. Though this was due to the fact they shared a common origin of once being Decepticons and now were Predacons, but she hadn't exactly got to interact them beyond offering repairs if they needed it after the alien incident.

[Mystrea]

Amidst the aftermath of the explosion and the cave in a small pile of rocks rumbled then fell away. Suddenly a large boulder shifted and a robotic arm desperately reached out clinging to life. Ironclaw, beaten and battered dragged his heavy limp body out of the his newly made exit. He'd been down in that collapsed maze for days, trapped and with severe damage. His right right arm was severed deeply from the shoulder, it has almost been completely ripped off. Dozens of burns and scratches all across his body, both legs useless he'd taken a hit to the head. The badger crawled forward unbeknownst to that the surface below his hands was unstable and gave way causing him to fall forward and tumble down. Landing in the clearing with a thud and crack he gave out a pain groan. "Beast mode..." Ironclaw moaned as he screwed up his face, preparing for the following pain. As expected his body transformed, but not without sparks and aggressive grinding sounds as various parts struggled to fit with their counterpart. The badger sighed with relief despite the fact he was still in pain.

"Did I complete my mission?' was his first thought. There was an explosion and a battle but he did not recall what happened after. Both the Predacons and Maximals were here, so was Zodiac. But now there was no sign of them, just destruction. Ironclaw not familiar at all with the machine he supposedly stopped, it was alien in nature but there was no knowing its destructive potential. There was a forest in his peripheral vision so its effect couldn't have been that wide spread. Then again it could have been designed to only target specifics. Technology as example. Maybe the Predacons and Maximals were wiped out. He guessed the better question was 'Am I the last sentient on this planet?'

In distance the badger something white move into the forest ahead. His optics were too damaged to make out what it was. At first he struggled to his feet, ready to act incase he had to defend himself. Though, after a moment he was compelled to investigate. Limping onward he made his way into the dense forest, still so green, so full of life. The high trees would provide cover for him just incase he wasn't the last one left. His beast would slowly repair his wounds and hopefully bring him back to full strength. However he had to think long term, whether or not Zodiac had been taken down Ironclaw needed a way to get back to cybertron. It was a long shot but he hoped there was something left of the Axalon or the Predacon ship.

The badger had decided to scout his surroundings to get a better idea of his location. His internal systems were still damaged and to no avail to his current location. As he was moving he heard a sharp noise behind him, like a twig snapping. Ironclaw turned to see what it was. Nothing. He turned back to be presented with a large bear staring directly at him. The badger froze. Even though the bear was smaller than him, which would normally odd considering he is a badger, it could deal significant damage to him while he was in current condition. The creature stared intently at him with a low growl. For one of the first times Ironclaw didn't want to break the stand off. Unfortunately the badger took an accidental step back causing the bear to react quickly and aggressively. It roared and charged, closing the distance surprisingly quick. Bearing his teeth, Ironclaw readied himself by trying to stand on his hind legs only to be impacted by his opponent and sent crashing down to dirty ground. The bear stayed upon him, it didn't falter as it mauled the badger. Big clawed paws swiping left and right then pushing him down when ever he tried to escape. Failing to escape, the badger tried to retaliate by biting one of the the bears legs. He was successful, making the bear yelp and back off. A moments reprieve was short lived when the bear attacked again from a different angle. Grabbing hold with both jaw and claw, the bear through Ironclaw with little effort. He landed in a heap taking further damage. This was something he knew he could not endure. The bear began to charge again, his gaze rose to the meet it. It was now or he would die. Gritting his teeth, he pushed off the ground with his front legs and forced himself to transform. Followed by rapidly deploying his weapon and shooting his on coming doom. The bear took the shot to the chest and fell to the ground like a sack. Then also did the badger, down to his knees, propped up on his one good arm. Breathing heavily, he faced the floor in an attempt to control his pain. 'Was this it?' he thought to himself. The colourful career that he had was to be brought to and by some animal. Yet he had no idea why the bear attacked him. Was it for food or territory, maybe it was just scared. He finally looked at the dead bear, cut down by something it could never have hoped to best.

Ironclaw's training had taught him to deal with situations like this. Though he felt no benefit from it. It was the distinct lack of information that he couldn't contemplate. Was Zodiac dead, even if he was, was this worth it? The funny thing for Ironclaw was that he was beginning to think, how did Optimus really do it. Sacrificing everything else to appease his morals yes but, was he right? It not matter whether he was dead or not. Many Primes had died but they still rose to to being the greatest of Cybertron to most. He was about to give up when something in the distance caught his optic again. The most random of things was stood in front of him. Be it some distance but this time more clearer to him. A white tiger. It stuck out so much amongst the greenery but yet held its majesty. The big car gracefully turned and left, compelling him to follow. 'Have I gone mad?' questioning himself before taking action. Though he instinctually followed. Dragging himself along with certainty. What he did not notice was the trail he left behind. Mech fluid. He was leaking mech fluid. His automatic recovery systems had failed.

Ironclaw traveled for days on his misguided attempts at following this mysterious tiger, even he hadn't seen it in some time. Yet some odd part of him persisted. Almost as if his other life had taken over, something the programming was not designed to do. Hope. His crawl had slowed as his loss of mech fluid began to affect him. The badger had gone on for an exceptionally long time, longer than most bots could manage. The badger's arm was about to stop when in front of him appeared this form again. The white tiger. He reached out to it but his hand went right through, the imaging fading. When his hand fell to the ground it revealed a ship ahead. The Axalon. Unable to continue Ironclaw was gripped by stasis lock but had made it to the ships sensing range.

[NaitoKage]

( I see Phoenix's habit of mixing up squids and octopuses has spread alot lately.

As for the diagnostic drone, bit surprising you'd want one of those floating around the Pred base. Though I guess it could be treated like a less insane D-navi from the japanese Beastwars. )


Umbra watched as Starshadow walked away, he'd grown tired of spark sitting her already. Her self-destructive nature and attempts on the lives on those around her, it was becoming all too apparent she was more trouble then she was worth to the Predacon cause. Well, either way not like she could leave the planet,or remove the collar. With a sigh Umbra started to calm down, then heard his comlink chirp up.

"Umbra, do you require assistance?"

The Octopus looked towards the camera in the hall and responded Merely the howls of a losing dog Ma'am. Don't worry about it. Umbra then gave a polite nod towards the camera and walked back into his room, closing the door. Sitting down at his desk he picked up a screwdriver adjusting a potentiometer on the micro emp device he'd built. Just need to increase the output and put the shell on it.. he said to himself quietly, then started to screw the case on the tiny device.

After finishing, he sent a encrypted text to Nemesis. "The device you requested is complete, we'll meet later to discuss more about it in a safe location." Umbra then slipped the device away, then started to sharpen some of his throwing blades.

_________________________________________

Finishing up installing the panels outside the Axalon, Landslide and Cheetor started to put away their tools, with Cheetor swiftly transforming to his beast mode and flying off the roof of the axalon, then landing down near the lift. Landslide looked around as he smelled something for a moment, but couldn't tell as his ol factory sensors were a bit stuffed up from the smell of flux. Giving a sneeze, he then flew off the Axalon the axalon onto the ground, walking back into the hanger.

Now with the new defensive plates installed, he could focus on other projects. One of which being using recovered engine from the Predacon ship to make a backup generator in the Axalon incase of power failure. Though getting it running would take some work. The beetle robot stretched his sore joints and walked over to the recovered engine, inspecting it and making notes on what might cause some trouble.

Cheetor transformed entering the bridge of the Axalon, he looked towards Rattrap and Wintersong Hey, panels are installed. Hopefully what Landslide said about them slowing the Preds down works. Can't say I like the view though.. Cheetor looked towards one of the windows with bars over it.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"Since I've been looking at the past records in the computer data systems, I think it's time to discuss my place in this war.

Optimus was listening to Banshee but still hadn't turned around yet to look at her as he stood puzzling over his own pictographs and symbols. Your place in this war? he pondered, crossing his arms over his chest.

I intended not to participate in it but...a bigger threat has exposed herself,"

None of us intended on participating in a war for survival, he thought. Curiously, he finally turned to face her when she mentioned a "bigger threat" but didn't interrupt her. Then Primal walked over to her with his slight limp to view the hologram of Starshadow. He raised a brow with some disbelief and confusion.

" which is why I'm going to take up arms once again. You may not understand why I'm saying this but I assure you, Megatron is just a meer obstacle compare to what she can do," "There is still the matter of Protoform X. I'm sure you have some questions."

"You're going to have to elaborate on Starshadow and the threat she poses because she hasn't been much of one thus far in this war. My biggest concern right now is the Vok, who are returning," Optimus emphasized with a firm tone. "As for Protoform X, his pod is still missing and he could still be in stasis for all we know. But since we have no idea where to even begin a search for him, my priority for him stands in a distant third behind Megatron. And it will remain that way unless you can convince me otherwise. So present your case." He stood there before her with his arms still folded, patiently waiting for her to explain in greater detail. As it stood, he didn't want any of his Maximals running off and chasing Predacons right now, assuming that was what Banshee was insinuating at that moment.

-----

"Do you think he's alright?," "Those symbols.. I don't know what they mean, but some looked very familiar. That one symbol was the same one that was on the pod Nex.. Zodiac brought with him,"

"He is as well as anyone can be after suffering all of that emotional and mental trauma. Actually, he is much more himself sooner than I had anticipated he would be at this point. I believe that's a good sign, and I'm certain he really needed that hug from you," Rhinox told Aurora as she was leading him to the lab through the corridors. Hugs did wonders. They relieved stress and gave physical comfort, more than words could do at times. "He said that language, as it appears to me to be, and the rest of those drawings suddenly came to him this morning, overcrowding his mind. He couldn't quite explain it, but it obviously has something to do with the Vok. So we better get a jump on your alien detection device." The chief medical officer glanced down at her when her words faltered over mentioning Zodiac's pod. "Interesting. We were fairly certain that Zodiac was affiliated with aliens some how, but we never got the chance to question him about it. That's why Optimus was so determined to bring him back here. He likely had valuable information that may have been beneficial to us since Megatron has the help of the Vok's gold disk."

"They are mostly done,"

Without wasting any time, he followed her into the lab and over to the machine, studying it and examining it as she turned on its power.

"The sensors themselves were actually not that difficult to make. The hardest part, by far, was using whatever information we've managed to gather about the alien technology so that the machine could be attuned to those signals. Whenever it detects something of alien origin within its range, it'll alert us of the location of the technology.." "Once I get it hooked into Sentinel's systems, we can monitor all the sensors right here from the Axalon."

"This is really great work, Aurora, especially with the idea of having it interact with Sentinel," Rhinox complimented, impressed, and glanced at the map she displayed on her arm's screen.

"It also gives off an audible sound to alert us if the alien signal is in the immediate area. That's where the glitch has been popping up a few times. Sometimes the alarm has just been going off for no reason."

"Hm...," thought the engineer out loud while he stood by the device and took things into consideration in his head, wondering how and why the glitch would occur. Peculiar.

"Hello, how is every-"

Rhinox looked up to see Whitegrazer enter the room and was about to say good morning to her when the detector's alarm sounded. Aurora quickly lowered its volume but the rhinoceros suddenly became quite curious about this so-called "glitch" in this particular observation.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why it's been doing that. I've been trying to locate the exact problem, but haven't had any luck so far."

Big Green raised a gold brow at the Fuzor and then looked at Whitegrazer again. His crimson optics narrowed at the Empath, not accusingly, but rather in a vexed way.

"It could just be the close proximity of all the sensors combined? Rhinox and I are about to take them outside for a field test."

"Interference or feedback? Perhaps," he finally said, taking his gaze off of Whitegrazer. It was a possibility, but he wasn't going to ignore that "coincidence" of it activating right when the mare had walked in. Although, as far as he knew, she certainly didn't have any ties with the aliens, so he wasn't going to accuse her of anything. He would wait and see what would happen with these "glitches" once they were set up outside. Rhinox held out his hands for Aurora as she placed some of her equipment in them for him to carry.

"You're welcome to come with, of course. But I have a feeling Optimus might need you more right now.. He's acting a little.. strangely. Drawing weird symbols on the walls and such. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it but maybe you can get through to him?,"

The engineer glanced at Whitegrazer again before returning his attention to Aurora, watching her gather her things to bring with them outside. He casually asked her, "What's the maximum range on this sensor?" as his optics motioned to the device that she had activated.

-----

"I suppose you're right." "Knowing her probably not. When she's done with Primal who knows what she'll do after."

Rattrap watched Wintersong's reaction to Banshee before the bat walked out. Things still seemed a little awkward between them. Of course, whenever Ironclaw was involved, things were always awkward.

"I'm...holding up Rattrap." "I know I should maybe be sad, devastated even but I can't bring myself to view Ironclaw as being dead. Lost maybe, but not dead."

"Well, it ain't like anybody witnessed anything, so it's possible he's out dere. We just couldn't stay ta search for 'im, you know? The whole volcano blew and most of us needed repairs," he explained. "Anyway, stranger things have happened before, and miracles, too," he assured her.

Hey, panels are installed. Hopefully what Landslide said about them slowing the Preds down works. Can't say I like the view though..

"Good job," said the rat to the cat. And his optics followed Cheetor's to a window with the bars. "Yeah. Kinda makes it feel more like a prison instead of a base or a vessel. But I think 'Slider's right, and it'll slow down those pesky Preds. Every little bit should help."

It was then when a blip appeared on the monitor barely within range of the ship's sensors. "Eh?" Rattrap pressed a button to identify the signal. It was Maximal. "Holy swiss cheese... I don't believe it... Ironclaw?!" He looked at Wintersong, wide-eyed. "His life signs are dangerously low. He might be in stasis lock. Go!" he told the tigress. "Hurry! I'll send Landslide ta help!" since the beetle was big enough to carry the large TransMetal badger.

"'Slider, Ironclaw's signature just showed up on the perimeter of our scanners!" the Spy sent him the coordinates. "I think he might be badly injured, maybe even in stasis lock. Meet Wintersong out there ta help him," he instructed the beetle. "Be careful."

[DarkSpark]

OOC: ugh, maybe the drone idea wasn't so great after all, at least not for how I was using it (I could see Megatron building a bunch of the little mechs to repair and maintain the base while the preds attend to other matters). I may edit my post again in the morning, sorry guys.

Edit: I reread my post and honestly...I'm gonna roll with it for now, if it doesn't pan out I'll just drop the drone idea. I just kinda thought it would work for the scene, & while I'm not a huge fan of Beast Machines, there are bits and pieces of it that I kinda like, like Megs having a personal drone assistant to do menial tasks for him, or to speak his evil mind to, or to blow up when he's pissed and needs to vent XD. Besides, I kinda like the redesigned versions of the Diagnostic Drone from the IDW comics.

http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/7/7 ... _Drone.jpg

[starshadow]

"You're going to have to elaborate on Starshadow and the threat she poses because she hasn't been much of one thus far in this war. My biggest concern right now is the Vok, who are returning,""As for Protoform X, his pod is still missing and he could still be in stasis for all we know. But since we have no idea where to even begin a search for him, my priority for him stands in a distant third behind Megatron. And it will remain that way unless you can convince me otherwise. So present your case."

"I see..well then," she tapped a few buttons on her forearm, accessing data in her military databanks, projecting out some holographic screens of video feeds. The first one showing Starshadow, who looked completely different in terms charisma, her physical appearance, and the large number of followers. The second one showing the Netherzarian army overrunning planets like a deadly killer plague, killing everything in their wake. The rest of the feeds revealed the extremely graphic process of their victims' torturing mutation and twisted ways of their executions. A few of them were renowned politicians. How did Banshee knew all of this? She was there to witness them as a double agent.

"Starshadow is the leader of this...now partially dissolved organization called HellFang. What you have seen is what they could do. And Cybertron is their target to wreck this kind of chaos. Believe me, though we may not be able to leave this planet for now but her followers will track her down eventually and she will rebuild everything she has left off. Please Optimus! Cybertron will face true terror if Starshadow is not destroyed or at least captured and put into stasis! I request your permission to carry out that task alone," the bat hoped that Optimus would agree to it. She did not want any of her comrades to get caught up in her mission.

((OOC: Note that the mutation is just as gruesome as the aliens from The Thing but slower. Ouch... Anyways, I'll post for Star as a seperate post. Typing everything out in the phone is risky...))

[una]

((OOC: I wonder if I'm the only one here who actually liked Beast Machines. ))

"I'm sorry, I don't know why it's been doing that. I've been trying to locate the exact problem, but haven't had any luck so far."

It had took her moment, after the sensors stopped going off, to realize what the device was. Aurora had been staying and working long hours in the night on a project that would help the Maximals detect alien signals. Whitegrazer, secretly, was wary of such a device because of what just occurred right now. Rhinox looked at her. Vexed, but not accusingly, though. She noticed. She just smiled. Part of her was grim, but the other part of her was proud that Aurora's device was coming along just nicely. It may prove useful for helping them with the next alien visit.

"Are you insane? Mad? Destroy that device, Whitegrazer.

Calm yourself, TyCross.

"Interference or feedback? Perhaps,"

"It could just be the close proximity of all the sensors combined? Rhinox and I are about to take them outside for a field test."

"Maybe, it was the abnormality of my spark. After all, my abilities are considered as such to most Cybertronians. Your sensor might have picked up on it, and thought since it was something unnatural, it must have been alien. It's a honest mistake." Whitegrazer explained. It was the only explanation she could think of at the moment, and because of her abilities and the way her comrades perceived them, it was a reasonable one. When Aurora said something about a field test, something made her smile. Maybe if she gave Rhinox and Aurora the coordinates TyCross told her with her accompanying them, it would be a perfect test.

What are you doing? Don't you dare give them the cooridnates! You are supposed to come alone. Alone! No one else. Maximal or Predacon!

Whitegrazer hesitated. Not because of TyCross' words, but the fact she didn't want to put Rhinox or Aurora in any danger she could have prevented. But if the aliens were doing something, she didn't want the Maximals to be unaware and helpless.

"Well, if you want to do a field test, I might have a perfect spot, but first, we must check it out on the bridge." She looked at Rhinox, wondering if he had any information. "Are you familiar with coordinates 15-31-10?"

AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!! Why are you doing the complete opposite of what I have told you to do?!

"You're welcome to come with, of course. But I have a feeling Optimus might need you more right now.. He's acting a little.. strangely. Drawing weird symbols on the walls and such. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it but maybe you can get through to him?,"

Whitegrazer looked at Aurora with surprise, but then remembered the nightmares she felt from Optimus, and sadly, replied, "He's drawing alien symbols, isn't he? " She lowered her optics. Part of her feeling guilty for what Optimus went through. She didn't believe all of those nightmares were just because of Optimus' own fears. She might be, unconsciously, the cause of those triggering events. If that is true, she might be able to comfort, but those nightmares would still plague him. They must deal with the aliens. "Banshee talking with him now. Maybe I will when she is finished." She only knew that through their bond. She felt the fact Optimus was with someone, and the presence, though new, was recognizable.

[NaitoKage]

( Er.. Do the Vehicons count Una? Because to be honest, I was rooting for Megatron the whole time when Beastmachines went all hippy techno organic cybertron..)

"'Slider, Ironclaw's signature just showed up on the perimeter of our scanners!" "I think he might be badly injured, maybe even in stasis lock. Meet Wintersong out there ta help him," "Be careful."

Landslide looked up from the engine and looked at the coordinates Rattrap sent him. Aye, could be a Predacon trap. Landslide turned and stepped out of the hanger closing it behind himself, then transformed to his vehicle mode, flying up into the air and heading off towards the coordinates.

As he flew in the air, his antenna started to twitch as he picked up scents of the area, making a circling pass of the area. I'm not picking up any Predacon scents, I'll keep you posted. Landslide radioed to Rattrap, then started to look around, picking up the stronger scent of the badger he started to fly down and transform to his robot mode. Oh no.. he said to himself in a low tone, kneeling down by Ironclaw inspecting his damage, then looked back towards the trail of fluid Ironclaw had left behind. Opening his left arm, Landslide pulled out two wires plugging them into Ironclaw, then looked at the screen on the arm. No signal..? Landslide then leaned down low listening to Ironclaw's back. His sparks still going.. Must of bled out too bad and went into stasis lock. Landslide then turned Ironclaw onto his back carefully, and looked around for the missing arm for a moment. Hrm.. Probably have to come back fer that arm. he then said, while the CR chamber could construct a new arm, having more parts of Ironclaw around would speed up the repair process significantly, so it was worth looking into, even if the arm had to be thrown in mid repair.

[Wintersong]

Wintersong could only nod, knowing the others had been given little time to search for anyone lost or trapped as the volcano hadn't given much time before he began to erupt. She could never blame her friends and teammates for that knowing casualties were all too common in war, but that didn't mean she was hoping by some chance that Ironclaw wasn't a name they were going to add to their list of dead Maximals. They had too many already.

As if her prayers were heard by Primus himself though Wintersong immediately glanced up when she heard the familiar sound of someone's signal showing up, her own optics widening at the familiar signal. It was Ironclaw! Somehow, someway, against all the odds he had survived the experience and returned to the Axalon, or almost anyway. The sight of his signal at all was enough to leave the Transmetal tigress frozen in her seat, trying to take in the possibility and hoping this wasn't some cruel joke or dream as only Rattrap's words telling her to go snapped her back to reality. "We'll be back." She promised the rat before she practically half jumped half ran from her chair right over to the lift.

But the lift wasn't halfway down when the femme was already transforming and activated the boosters on her side to send her flying some feet and landing on her wheels, albeit swerving a bit before she straightened and sped towards where Ironclaw had popped up. But Landslide was already there, seeming to check on the fallen badger already and possibly checked for Predacons when she arrived. But even so, Wintersong didn't bother slowing down as she transformed and came sliding on the opposite side of Ironclaw across from beetle mech and hearing his words. "He must have dragged himself all the way from the volcano." She said in astonishment, yet there was some hope in her voice as well as she rested her hand on his damaged shoulder. "I can find the arm Landslide while you take him back to get in a CR chamber." Wintersong offered, more than willing to help at this point with what she could.

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

"Copy that." Spineback responded back to Umbra, switching off the com-link again before turning her attentions back to the monitors for a moment. She would never understand Starshadow, that was for sure and sometimes wondered why they bothered keeping her around rather than just ridding of a problem. But it was not Spineback's place to question her leader's motives figuring he had good reason to have her around just as he had use for bots such as Terrorsaur despite his usual antics.

Shaking her head for now, the spinosaurus turned her attentions to something else and turned to see what else she could be doing right now, one of which was being tempted to organize their med-bay of sorts. After the virus incident and in the middle of the repairs and other tasks it hadn't had much attention paid to it as of late aside from the Predacons being repaired and having but a quick attempt to keep it organized. Shrugging as she saw nothing else she could do for the bridge she held the control to her platform and flew it over to the entrance to the hall connecting to the main control room and stepped off.

Heading down the hall the soldier-turned-medic and back again went through her processor of how to properly get things settled in the room since for the time being they seemed in a state of idleness that left her bored and not knowing what more to do.

((Actually, I enjoyed Beast Machines as well. I think some things could have been better but it wasn't that bad in my opinion.))

[starshadow]

Starshadow walked out of the Darksyde and flew towards the dense jungles located between the Predacon and Maximal bases. Thankfully that area is a long stretch and Umbra gave up focusing on her and turned back to what he was doing earlier. Even better when Megatron is not around in the command center to witness her flying off to the distance without someone to keep an eye on her. With luck, Umbra may not be able to tack the collar's signal due to the distance. Maybe staying on a lower ground, possibly underground caverns to keep herself safe. But without specific tools, she may get lost. The feline landed outside her cave lair with a roaring waterfall beside it. Finally, she was home with no one to bother her.

Suddenly a pounding pain slammed in her head like a giant steel mallet.

Did you really think this is over? What a dream you're living in..

That scarcastic dead psychopath of an esper! She needs to know who is the true master of the body someday.

You shouldn't have left without stealing tools from your food.

As if you cared about my wellbeing.. Starshadow replied, having a grumpy cat expression on her face.

....You can't run and hide forever. All you need to do is get an upgrade.

She would not say that unless she had a plan. Despite how much she hated losing control of her body to her, she had more experience when it comes to survival. But how?

Every leader of Hellfang should have all the notes from the tech department. Browse through them. You're going to need to know how to reawaken the venom that runs through your body..

Starshadow just looked confused. She was no scientist or engineer but at this rate, its worth a try and it is a good time to start her project right now. The catbot began reviewing some files in her databanks, browing through the notes.

[NaitoKage]

"He must have dragged himself all the way from the volcano.""I can find the arm Landslide while you take him back to get in a CR chamber."

Landslide looked towards Wintersong as she spoke up Well there's plenty of a trail, but be careful. Don't wander too far off alone lass, there could be Predacons out there.. and if it's back by the volcano.. that's a bit of a ways out there.. Vehicle mode!

Landslide turned transforming to his vehicle mode, his wingshell opened as his cargobay then opened, two mechanical arms extending out grabbing Ironclaw by the collar/chest and pulled him inside, his feet dangling from the open tailgate. The large beetle tilted his head looking towards Wintersong I'll be back soon, keep yer optics open n' radio ready.

Landslide's thrusters then kicked in as he flew up straight up into the air, then his nacelles turned and flew off towards the Axalon. Landslide turned on his comlink Landslide to Rattrap. Ironclaw confirmed alive, but heavily damaged and in stasis lock. Wintersong stayed back to look fer his missing arm, after I drop im' off in the CR chamber at the hanger I'll head back to her. You might want Rhinox to check on his status.

Soon making his way to the Maximal base, Landslide transformed to his robot mode in midair, coming down for a landing by the hanger. He opened the hanger walking inside and closed the door behind himself, then made his way to the large CR chamber inside the hanger. Moving some scrap metal out of the way with his foot, he opened the CR chamber and turned around taking the shield off his back, his wings folding out of the way and cargo container's pleted armor raised open, the mechanical arms extracting Ironclaw from his container and turning him, then setting him down in the CR chamber's seat. The container on his back then closed up and he turned around closing the CR Chamber's hatch.

Landslide started to make his way out, looking at the engine he was going to work on for a second, then shook his head heading out to the hanger door. Always somethin' round here. Never time to git everything done. he said to himself opening the hanger, then stepped out and closed it again. Activating his thrusters, Landslide transformed to his vehicle mode again in mid air and flew off once again.

[Phoenix]

"I call this meeting of the Predacon Chain of Command to order, yyyyeeesssss"

Nemesis looked to the leader sitting at her side, smiling ever so slightly as he proclaimed their meeting was starting. She wasn't accustomed to meetings like this, but she certainly could grow to appreciate them. With her background she certainly had come a long way from who she was back in her youth, when she was undergoing a dangerous experiment she likely had only survived due to a mutation in her spark that allowed her to systems to accept accept the implementation of a strange, new technology. The process had killed most of them, leaving their bodies mere malformed husks of their former selves, yet she and one other had survived. A male and a female, by some believed to be the first two of a new generation of their magnificent race.

It didn't happen.

Instead she had fled the torment and Zodiac chose to stay behind, to fulfill his destiny.

And now he was dead. Devoured by the very weapon he attempted to unleash against them.

The female was pleased it happened.

She was only sorry she hadn't gotten to witness the lava engulf him, melt that once so smug look off his face. His technology, at one point superior to her own, burnt to shreds in a fiery inferno.

She was pleased..

The one who could have helped her reclaim what was rightfully hers, had he not been so preoccupied with his petty vengeance.

She was indifferent.

The traitor who had once been her fellow captive, the one she relied on like a brother. The one that comforted her, reassured her, made sure her spirit wouldn't break. Her brother, her kin.

...

"The secretary shall now read the minutes of the last meeting," a tiny diagnostic drone he'd created himself floating into view with a data pad in hand, speaking in the same voice as the Predacon's ship computer as it said "As you Command, Master. At the last meeting of the Chain of Command, Lord Megatron charged Commander Nemesis with the task of tracking down more stasis pods to bolster the ranks of the Predacon Revolutionary Army, as well as new alien sites to exploit for the benefit of the Predacon cause. Sub-Commander Deathroll in turn was given the duty of overseeing the construction of a series of new jamming towers to limit maximal communications and sensor range as much as feasibly possible. Lord Megatron in turn committed himself to the study of the alien disk and several side projects he deemed potentially valuable to his longterm plans..."

Megatron had proved himself quite capable now that she had gotten to know him better. When they first met, she had presumed he was little more than another ambitious warrior. Yet he had proven himself to be capable of technological advancements, and a strategic genius as well. Nemesis had come to respect him far more because of those achievements.

"Splendid. Now then, Commander, Sub-Commander, I would hear your reports, yyyyeeesssss"

She remained respectfully quiet until Megatron addressed her directly.

"It pleases me to inform my fellow participants that the tracker Lord Megatron himself created has been very helpful in detecting the signals of more abandoned Decepticons that may soon be joining our fleet. Particularly one that's buried near here," she tapped her fingers to a point on a map on the table, "will be recovered soon."


She paused for a brief moment as she glanced over at Deathroll, curious to see if he would show a reaction to finding out that one of his fellow team mates would soon be here.

"He is as well as anyone can be after suffering all of that emotional and mental trauma. Actually, he is much more himself sooner than I had anticipated he would be at this point. I believe that's a good sign, and I'm certain he really needed that hug from you,"

Aurora listened intently to Rhinox' analysis of the situation. She had a huge amount of respect for the older Maximal and found that he taught her more than any of the others. And not just in the field of medicine and engineering. No, the rhinoceros was very wise in other areas as well. In a moment of crisis he was highly capable of taking command of the Axalon. But it was obvious he had no ambitions of making that a permanent arrangement.

As for Optimus, well, he might be acting more like himself but Aurora had never seen him driven the point of drawing symbols all over his walls before. Obviously whatever had been troubling Primal wasn't entirely gone yet.

"Maybe he just needs a little rest," she replied, "A little time to recover from everything that went on. He's always pushing himself so far, too far maybe. "

"He said that language, as it appears to me to be, and the rest of those drawings suddenly came to him this morning, overcrowding his mind. He couldn't quite explain it, but it obviously has something to do with the Vok. So we better get a jump on your alien detection device."

Aurora nodded, but her thoughts were immediately drawn back to the symbol she had most recently seen on Optimus' wall but before that on the pod that contained the bomb. Could the bomb have been made with alien technology? Could it 'be' alien? She supposed she could have tested her new invention on it but for safety reasons, the deactivated bomb had been removed far away from the Axalon. Its whereabouts now was unknown. Perhaps Rattrap knew since he was the security officer of sorts?

"Interesting. We were fairly certain that Zodiac was affiliated with aliens some how, but we never got the chance to question him about it. That's why Optimus was so determined to bring him back here. He likely had valuable information that may have been beneficial to us since Megatron has the help of the Vok's gold disk."

"Maybe they sent him?," Aurora added before realizing just how unlikely that was. Again her thoughts drifted back to the mysterious pod. "Or he took something of theirs and brought it here.."

Of course they would likely never find out the truth since the shapeshifter had died.

She showed him the sensors.

"This is really great work, Aurora, especially with the idea of having it interact with Sentinel,"

Aurora's smile came back when hearing those words, a most grateful smile full of relief that he was pleased with her efforts.

"Well, there would be too much information collected for one individual to process it all. Sentinel is much more capable of keeping track of it and can easily alert us if anything weird pops up. But I would like to make sure the sensors actually work before I attempt to connect them to Sentinel," she clarified.

Whitegrazer's appearance proved just how unstable the system was. Aurora quickly turned off the alarm so she wouldn't alert the entire Axalon since the alarm was quite loud.

"Interference or feedback? Perhaps,"

"I'm sure that's what it is," Aurora said to excuse herself as if she had just turned in a half-finished school project. Although she couldn't quite figure out why such an interference would only happen on occasion instead of the entire time the sensors had been in the same room. "In which case the glitch should resolve as soon as we get them outside and separated from each other."

"What's the maximum range on this sensor?"

"About a hundred Earth miles for each sensor," she told Rhinox as she continued loading her equipment into his arms. "I should be able to increase that number after the system is running properly. Each sensor will function as part of a grid, so when it's completed we should have a pretty good detection range."

"Maybe, it was the abnormality of my spark. After all, my abilities are considered as such to most Cybertronians. Your sensor might have picked up on it, and thought since it was something unnatural, it must have been alien. It's a honest mistake."

The fuzor nodded in agreement. "That's possible as well. Like I said, the system hasn't been perfected yet. I'll get it working properly, don't worry."

It seemed logical to her given the peculiar nature of Whitegrazer's abilities. Perhaps some day, when the fuzor was skilled enough, she could try to figure out how the white mare was able to do the things she did. But that wouldn't be for a long time still.

"Well, if you want to do a field test, I might have a perfect spot, but first, we must check it out on the bridge." She looked at Rhinox, wondering if he had any information. "Are you familiar with coordinates 15-31-10?"

Aurora sent the white mare a quizzical look. "Why those coordinates?," she asked, genuinely curious, but she trusted Whitegrazer with her life so she wasn't opposed to try it out.

"He's drawing alien symbols, isn't he? "

The fuzor slowly nodded to confirm Whitegrazer's suspicions. "They're all over his walls in his quarters." She was honestly a little concerned about this development.

"Banshee talking with him now. Maybe I will when she is finished."

Aurora appreciated that. She was certain Whitegrazer could help soothe Optimus' emotions and heal his mind a lot better than anyone. Even Banshee.

"In the meanwhile Rhinox and I will head out to place the sensors. If you're certain about those coordinates, we can certainly put one of the sensors near there."

With those words, she started heading out with Rhinox in tow. Whether Whitegrazer wanted to join them was up to her.

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Sorry Una, I like Megatron's performance in Beast Machines & some of the tech he cooks up (like the Grand Mal's spaceship mode), and the introduction of Strika, but I'm not a fan of the maximals ugly technorganic designs and hippie dippie nonsense. I'm also not a fan of how Megatron suddenly became all "Me hate beast modes, gggrrr" but David Kaye did such a good job giving Megatron a sense of grandeur and menace even I can't ignore that (still prefer predacons over vehicons though lol). I also think Nightscream's original concept as a female maximal akin to Newt from Aliens would have been WAY more likable and unique than that annoying emo kid they ultimately settled on (he was no Cheetor lol).

Phoenix wrote: She remained respectfully quiet until Megatron addressed her directly.

"It pleases me to inform my fellow participants that the tracker Lord Megatron himself created has been very helpful in detecting the signals of more abandoned Decepticons that may soon be joining our fleet. Particularly one that's buried near here," she tapped her fingers to a point on a map on the table, "will be recovered soon."


She paused for a brief moment as she glanced over at Deathroll, curious to see if he would show a reaction to finding out that one of his fellow team mates would soon be here.

Megatron's evil eyes lit up at the revelation of another lost decepticon being discovered, while Deathroll's optics seemed to fill with hope at the prospect of having another of his own kind join the ranks. He was a Predacon now and proud to serve his new leader, but it was hard to shake the feeling of being a living relic, didn't help that he knew he was in the future, but to everyone else on the planet it was actually the past, well at least to those who knew the secrets of this world...It was more than a little confusing at times. Having another Decepticon of his generation to talk to would certainly be a plus, especially when compared to the likes of Terrorsaur or Waspinator for company, Lord Megatron's crew was an odd mishmash of rogues, fools, and loyalists, and hopefully the third category would continue to grow in number.

"This is excellent news Commander, you continue to exceed my expectations, Yyyyyesssss. Once this meeting concludes, take whoever you may need to finish the recovery of our new recruit" Megatron said, taking note of the decepticon sleeper's location on the map before turning to Deathroll and saying "Subcommander, you may report your progress now."

Deathroll sat upright, the massive Predacon unaccustomed to such luxuries and formalities having been much lower in rank back in the Decepticon army, but still taking great pride in his new status and the trust Megatron had in him, as he said "While I fear I cannot compete with the Commander's findings, I am pleased to report that progress with the jamming towers is proceeding ahead of schedule, the maximal's ability to scan or communicate, especially in our own territory, grows more hampered by the day. We're spreading out into unclaimed territories as well of course, but I suspected you'd be pleased to hear the next time they attempt to invade our lands they'll have a very difficult time calling for help."

Megatron grinned at this report, Deathroll's humble but loyal attitude more pleasing to his ears, as was the prospect of the maximals finding themselves increasingly frustrated over being unable to scan or communicate properly in the field, and the thought of them being cut off from their comrades the next time they tried to infiltrate his lair pleased him even more...It was the little things in life that brightened your day sometimes.

"Splendid work Subcommander, I trust your work force have been cooperative?" Megatron inquired, knowing all too well that his crew could be a handful at times, if it wasn't schemers like Terrorsaur and Tarantulas mucking up the works it was idiots like Waspinator or Manterror bumbling at every turn.


"Trust me my Lord, Terrorsaur, Waspinator, and Quickstrike are surprisingly hard workers so long as Inferno and myself are present to crack the whip when needed" Deathroll replied with a hint of a smile of his own, the decepticon turned predacon having made it his business to instill a proper work ethic into anyone he perceived to be a slacker, especially those with a history of treachery...Terrorsaur DESPISED him, but the feeling was mutual and he could crush that high flying braggart any day of the week, so he preferred it that way, so long as he feared and obeyed him as well.

"Mahahahahaha! Even better, feel free to keep the troops in shape however and whenever you can, Subcommander" Megatron said, letting out a legitimately hearty laugh, just imagining the looks on the faces of the grunts as Deathroll gave them their marching orders.

Truly, Nemesis and Deathroll were exactly the sort of subordinates he'd been needing for far too long, officers that his minions would respect, or at least fear, enough to behave themselves even when he himself was not present to enforce his will. Dinobot had turned traitor at the first little stumbling block in their mission, and Scorponok and Inferno, while loyal, had never been good for much other than hired muscle.

"Now then, I suppose its my turn to report my own findings" Megatron mused. keeping his officers in suspense for dramatic effect as he went on to say "My study of the alien disk and its secrets has not been easy, but slowly but surely I am peeling back the veil on the Vok forbidden knowledge, and it has led to a few breakthroughs in my own projects, including a few I had been forced to abandon until now."

"Is the...Secretary one of these breakthroughs, Lord Megatron?" Deathroll asked, curious about the little sparkless creature, painted in his master's own colors to signify its status as his personal servant.

Granted, servant drones were not unheard of in Deathroll's time, but this particular model was different from anything he recalled from back on Cybertron, small and simple looking but advanced, apparently functioning as a physical avatar of the Predacon's ship computer.

"Alas no, my diagnostic drone was developed from my own expertise, the first of what I hope shall be many drones helping to repair and maintain this ship on a daily basis, freeing up the spare time of my troops for other duties" Megatron explained, leaving out the bit about how they'd likely be more reliable as well, going on to say "My first breakthrough is a much more profound sort, yyyyeessss."

Megatron reached into his subspace pocket and produced a tiny shard of energon...Bright red energon, a sight that made even the drone take pause.

"Artificial energon" Megatron said, going silent once more to gauge the reactions of his officers, Deathroll looking suitably impressed, remembering all too well the energon shortage that had plagued Cybertron during the war even after the original megatron had secured control of the planet for the Decepticons.

"Incredible..." was all Deathroll had to say in response, unable to get over how far ahead the Predacons were compared to the Decepticons technologically, if producing artificial energon had been an option, the first Megatron would not have had to follow Optimus Prime to earth in search of new fuel sources.

[Wintersong]

"I won't go too far." Wintersong assured the beetle, watching him for a moment load Ironclaw into his vehicle form. As much as she desired to just go with instead and see for herself how bad of shape Ironclaw really was in she shook her head and turned her attentions to the trail left by the badger's severely batter form instead. It was her best option of finding the missing limb, a thought that was far more morbid than she wanted to think about and transformed to begin following it as Landslide flew back towards the Axalon.

But following the trail further away from base made her tense again, mainly because they hadn't heard anything from the Predacons in terms of activity or had picked up anything as of late. Certainly left the question if they were maybe lurking about just out of range of their sensors, waiting for an unexpected lonely Maximal like herself to attack and take out. Since Zodiac had failed to do so himself it wouldn't have surprised her if the Predacons tried to do so where the shapshifter had left off. Following the trail further into the jungle though she finally cause the scent getting stronger which meant the limb had to be close by, causing her to transform back to robot mode but this time having her swords in hand in case it was possibly a trap.

Slinking forward, she carefully lifted a branch to reveal the badger's missing arm but her optics scanned the area for any other disturbances before she put the blades back behind her shoulders and came over to gingerly pick it up. Another final glance around to double check caused the Transmetal tigress to relax only slightly before she made her way back the direction she had come from and returning to the edge of the jungle to step out further to where Landslide could see her.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Ah, Beast Machines. I liked the darkness of the show, and the animation and music. I also liked Jetstorm's humor, that Cheetor had grown a little more mature, and the idea of Botanica using plant "DNA" instead of animal (although, Beast Wars using animals as alternative modes is what made me fall in love with the show along with the writing and voice acting). I didn't like most of the designs of the characters in BM, nor did I like what they did with most of the Maximals. I didn't hate the show but it doesn't compare to how wonderfully written Beast Wars was and its beloved characters. In any case, I like the harmless drone thing for Megatron, DarkSpark, it sort of replaces the rubber ducky , so keep going with it if you'd like and see where it goes. ))

"I see..well then,"

Banshee had to understand that Optimus couldn't simply allow someone to run off and hunt a Predacon - who could easily seek refuge with the other Predacons - when there was danger afoot with the aliens. Once they would arrive, he was going to need his Maximals to help fend them off and at the same time battle Megatron and his Predacons. However, her voice suggested urgency, so he wasn't going to ignore her plea; he would hear her out. Primal observed the holographic video feeds she projected from her forearm, and his optics were saddened and horrified by the destruction and suffering he saw. He even recognized some of the faces of the politicians. So that's what happened to them..., he pondered.

"Starshadow is the leader of this...now partially dissolved organization called HellFang.

His optics darted to Banshee's in disbelief. "She's the leader?" he questioned with great deal of doubt, finding that hard to believe. She certainly didn't act like one. But Banshee's documented proof suggested otherwise.

What you have seen is what they could do. And Cybertron is their target to wreck this kind of chaos. Believe me, though we may not be able to leave this planet for now but her followers will track her down eventually and she will rebuild everything she has left off. Please Optimus! Cybertron will face true terror if Starshadow is not destroyed or at least captured and put into stasis! I request your permission to carry out that task alone,"

Destroyed? Well, that was out of the question. "How do you know all of this?" As far he knew, she was a doctor of psychology, not a spy or a bounty hunter. "How did you capture those videos? And how will they be able to track her down with her stuck in the past on prehistoric Earth? With the transwarp wave? What's stopping them from attacking Cybertron without her guidance? I imagine most, if not all, of Cybertron has assumed we're dead by now or long lost in the vastness of space, so wouldn't this organization simply carry out their mission without Starshadow, meaning there's nothing I or you can do? Why keep wasting their resources in search of her? Wouldn't they just appoint someone else to lead them? It has been a long time since we've been stranded here and we have yet to see any sign of this army coming to rescue her." Optimus sought for more information in order to understand what exactly made this the priority that Banshee wanted it to be when it could be another year or so before anyone found out where and when Starshadow was. Of course, he had a feeling that even if he declined her notion, she was going to sneak off and go after Starshadow anyway.

"Blackarachnia, would you report to my quarters, please?" Optimus asked of the black widow over his comm. link, having no idea where she was or what she was up to. He still wanted her to take a look at the symbols he scratched and drew all of his walls and floor, but he also wanted to see what she knew of Starshadow's situation since she had spent so much time with the Predacons.

-----

"Maybe he just needs a little rest," "A little time to recover from everything that went on. He's always pushing himself so far, too far maybe."

Rhinox simply gave a nod to Aurora. She may not realize it but that was the nature of his job as a commanding officer. Having the responsibility of all these lives and different personalities often weighed heavily on leaders' shoulders, especially in a situation as uncommon and dire as theirs. If anything, after everything they have been through, Rhinox hoped it would only continue to make Optimus stronger. If he could get past Nexus Prime's death and his own death, Megatron's torture, and Zodiac's manipulation, then there was nothing that could stop the Maximal Commander.

"Maybe they sent him?," "Or he took something of theirs and brought it here.."

"Anything is possible," the engineer reminded the newly appointed Chief Biologist and chemist. "But we will never know for sure."

"Well, there would be too much information collected for one individual to process it all. Sentinel is much more capable of keeping track of it and can easily alert us if anything weird pops up. But I would like to make sure the sensors actually work before I attempt to connect them to Sentinel,"

He smiled at her and nodded in complete agreement with her thinking.

"I'm sure that's what it is," "In which case the glitch should resolve as soon as we get them outside and separated from each other."

Yes, we'll see about that, Rhinox thought quietly to himself.

"Maybe, it was the abnormality of my spark. After all, my abilities are considered as such to most Cybertronians. Your sensor might have picked up on it, and thought since it was something unnatural, it must have been alien. It's a honest mistake."

"That's possible as well. Like I said, the system hasn't been perfected yet. I'll get it working properly, don't worry."

Well, that could be, Rhinox thought about their conversation with more calmness. As an Empth, Whitegrazer was a bit different, and he presumed her spark had a lot to do with that.

"About a hundred Earth miles for each sensor," "I should be able to increase that number after the system is running properly. Each sensor will function as part of a grid, so when it's completed we should have a pretty good detection range."

"Well, if you want to do a field test, I might have a perfect spot, but first, we must check it out on the bridge." "Are you familiar with coordinates 15-31-10?"

"Why those coordinates?,"

Curiously, Rhinox shook his head no to the mare. Nothing really stood out to him about those coordinates or any significance to them, not that he had every coordinate memorized.

"He's drawing alien symbols, isn't he? "

"They're all over his walls in his quarters."

"Banshee talking with him now. Maybe I will when she is finished."

"In the meanwhile Rhinox and I will head out to place the sensors. If you're certain about those coordinates, we can certainly put one of the sensors near there."

Rhinox followed Aurora out of the lab, lugging most of her equipment. Instead of them being delayed, he suggested to Whitegrazer, "Rattrap is on the bridge, so have him check out those coordinates and relay anything of importance to us before Aurora and I head over there."

Aye, could be a Predacon trap.

Rattrap agreed with Landslide as he watched his signature on the monitor moving about and exiting the base. There was no Predacon activity within the vicinity that the Axalon's sensors were picking up, but that didn't mean there could be anyone out there in stealth or jamming signals.

I'm not picking up any Predacon scents, I'll keep you posted.

"Me neither. Alright, big guy," the rat replied.

"We'll be back."

He gave Wintersong a dismissive wave, not surprised by her reaction at all. "Aye," he sighed, wondering if all this lovey dovey romance stuff going on around there was worth the distractions and heartache it caused. Tapping his fingers on the console, he waited to hear from back them.

Landslide to Rattrap. Ironclaw confirmed alive, but heavily damaged and in stasis lock. Wintersong stayed back to look fer his missing arm, after I drop im' off in the CR chamber at the hanger I'll head back to her. You might want Rhinox to check on his status.

Rattrap's next sigh was one of relief despite how guilty he felt for leaving the badger back at the alien volcano site when he thought he had been killed or ran off. Even though Ironclaw was stubborn and disobedient and preferred killing bots, they still needed his fire power, thick armor and brute strength. Having more Maximals, despite their personality clashes, was better than being completely outnumbered by the Predacons. "Copy dat, 'Slider," he responded.

"Rhinox, what's yer status? Believe it or not, we just picked up Ironclaw who literally crawled onto our scanners outta no where. Landslide just got 'im inta the CR in the hangar but he wants ya ta check up on 'im," he sent over his comm. link.

Ironclaw?! "What?!" The rhinoceros nearly dropped everything in his arms over the sudden, unexpected news but he kept himself composed so as not to damage Aurora's work and cleared his throat. "That's incredible. I thought you said he was-"

"I know what I said! I was apparently... wrong," Rattrap interrupted him and then let his voice trail off to a mutter at the end, embarrassed to admit his mistake.

Big Green couldn't help but smirk a little, glad to know that the badger was alive after all. "Well, I can't right now. I'm in the middle of assisting Aurora."

"Alright. I'll take care of it," the rodent concluded and turned to Cheetor.

"Mind keepin' an eye on Ironclaw's stats in de CR, kid? Rattrap asked him. "Just wanna make sure he doesn't take a dive or nothin', know what I mean?" since it had happened before with Icebreaker who was in such poor shape that not even the repair chamber could do enough to save him.