The Intergalactic Highway

Ironclaw was looking at Aurora as she glanced at him. At this point he was not paying attention when Starshadow pounced on him. He fell flat on his back with Starshadow on top of him.

Ironclaw was about to make a witty comment about the fembots on this planet but decided against it when Starshadow threatened Aurora. He knew why she was here, she had come for her weapon. However he wasn't ready to part with it just yet.

While Starshadow was distracted with her laughing he transformed and pulled out the pistol he had stolen and pressed the business end into her stomach area. "Get off me, Star......we can play later" Ironclaw said, offering to give her a chance. She was surrounded and she just as lost on this world as he was. Although he hoped that was about to change for him.

"Yo, Airazor, ya read me?"

"Loud and clear" Airazor responded, soaring through the air at a brisk pace. After hearing a loud crash behind her, she raised her altitude and slowed her pace a bit. Terrorsaur wouldn't be a problem any longer. Unsure what to do now, the Falcon locked onto Rattraps energy signature and followed it. Within only a few moments she caught up to him and the rest of the group. She landed safely next to her companions when her keen eyes noticed something moving behind a boulder. "Hmm..." She said, zooming in with her optics. "Looks like we have trouble!" She continued and not long after that, Starshadow appeared and attacked Iron Claw. Still unarmed, Airazor decided that she would stay in beast mode. Without her weapons she wouldn't be able to fight in her robot form and she was much more formidable in beast mode when it came to clean fighting!

"What happened?"

Primal turned to see Whitegrazer approaching the group that was beginning to surround Rhinox. So that was the warmth and peace he had suddenly felt within his spark. He smiled warmly at the white mare, glad to see her return, and even though he wondered where she had gone this whole time ever since he and the others had also departed earlier, he pushed those thoughts aside and returned his attention to the rhinoceros who was starting to shuffle around and get up on his feet.

"Don't worry about me," "I just ate a few more beans than my body could handle. Just needed to take a breather." "Remind me to apologize to Starshadow for the... aftermath... of my struggling digestive systems."

Optimus managed a chuckle at Rhinox as he shook himself, patting the side of his friend's thick shoulder a couple times as a means of comfort and recalling the time this had happened before. Certainly a... unique way of fending off a foe.

"Pheeeeeewwwww.. If there's anything the rest of us need right now it's to take a breather too.. through a gas mask! Never realized your rear end should be listed as a lethal weapon."

"I hope you're taking notes, Aurora," the Maximal leader joked with another small chuckle.

"Good to just have you back on your feet Rhinox." "Or should I say it's good to see all of you in good shape. For a moment thought there would be someone hurt." "Though I think we better keep a look out for Star,she hasn't left just yet I think."

Glancing from Frilla to Dinobot and regaining his focus on the situation, the gorilla nodded in agreement and started to glance around the darkness that had enveloped itself around the Axalon. Just then, as Frilla had suspected, Starshadow leaped from out of the darkest of shadows and pounced on Ironclaw. Distraught, Optimus took a step forward but stopped himself when she unsheathed her blades at the badger. Ironclaw, he thought with concern. An action like the panther's blades could be considered controversial to the truce. However, he remained in his beast mode and listened to what Starshadow had to say.

"Well well...look what I have found. A badger waiting to be my very first supper of the year. I believe you still carrying what's mine..." "and who's this? A side dish? Or a poor little girl who loves pink and flowers brought into this endless war?" "Shame on you Optimus! Shame on you bringing a kid here without toys to play!"

Primal hesitated on giving her the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, seeing as she was greatly outnumbered, he opted not to intervene and watched to see how his Maximals would handle this. The truce they were under would certainly help.

"Brave words from the skunk who decided to play panther." "As I'm sure you've noticed, if the scent hasn't destroyed your vision as well as your sense of smell and apparently common sense, there are quite a few more of us and only one of you. So how about hopping off my friend there and address whatever issue you're having civilly?"

Proud of Aurora's approach and diplomatic manner, Optimus continued to keep a close eye on Starshadow's reaction until Ironclaw took advantage of the panther's devious laughter and maximized right underneath her, wielding her own weapon against her pointblank at her stomach. He had to stop himself from calling out to the honey badger and reminding him that they were under a cease-fire. Drawing a weapon was not a good idea, unless he was willing to return it to its rightful owner. This would only heat up the situation and make Starshadow more hostile. She might call his bluff and retaliate anyway knowing they were under a cease-fire. Primus, he thought, watching them intently. Primal attempted to remain calm and let them work it out.

"Get off me, Star......we can play later"

Growing a little more concerned, he hoped the Predacon panther would back off and avoid anything that might cause things to get out of hand. Optimus would not be very happy if something as insignificant as a stolen weapon turned into an all-out brawl just because Ironclaw had her gun which she failed to hang on to under what ever circumstances they had encountered with one another earlier.

(( OOC: See? Not playing the hero this time. Not yet, anyway. Handle it, Maximals! Peacefully. ))

-----

"Last one to the base is a..." "...busted stasis pod," "You'd have to run to the Darksyde and back to count, Dinobot."

"Situation taken care of, then?"

"Yeah. You missed it."

Rattrap shook his head as he watched Cheetor bolt off away from the group only to be stopped by Dinobot before he had headed back inside their shelter. Hasn't that kid learned his lesson yet? he thought. Ya don't fool around outside the base.

"Oh I've just er..." "I guess I've just been surprised is all, just trying to figure out how Glowstick got the best of me."

"Ya know, I get the funny feeling that might've been because you were alone. Failin' ta let anybody know where you were goin'," the brown rat bluntly told Feralnight as he continued to waddle along beside her, reaching the Axalon with the rest. "Come ta think of it, I don't think we ever got a clear debriefing on what happened. I know Optimus was worried about ya, as if he doesn't have enough ta worry about as it is, and if he hasn't grilled you yet about it, you best believe he will soon. So I hope you got a good explanation for 'im. Don't think he hasn't noticed yer silent treatment either." Rattrap wasn't trying to get her upset, just trying to prepare her because as curious as he was about what happened earlier with her and Glowstick and why she was there in the first place, he truly cared about her well being and knew there was something wrong. He cared about all of them, he just had a funny way of showing it. And admitting it; especially when it came to Dinobot.

"Loud and clear" "Hmm..." "Looks like we have trouble!"

Relieved to hear Airazor and watch her silently swoop over, Rattrap was not thrilled to hear about a new threat. Slag it all! he thought with a grumpy attitude.

The rodent came to a sudden stop when Starshadow made her appearance. Quickly, automatically, Rattrap glanced around taking in everyone's positions and all of those who were present. He crouched by a nearby boulder, hiding in its shadow from the moonlight, and watched closely, quietly. Judging by the ape's demeanor, he seemed to be letting the others handle the situation, so he remained in his position. For now.

-----

"There's too many to choose from,"

Tigatron supposed that was a good thing, however, Orcariner didn't seem like he wanted to discuss them outloud. Perhaps his suggestion made things worse. Sighing quietly to himself, he continued to hand equipment and metal plates to the orca mech that he could use. He had hoped to hear the stories, the memories, as it might have proven theraputic for Orcariner, but perhaps he was saving them for his friend's uelogy. Or just for himself. "How about you just tell me how you two met?" he suggested with a small, but warm smile up to the larger bot.

(( OOC: Sorry, Alak, I'm really kind of crapping out with Tigatron here. And it's late. ))

((For a moment, Aurora reminded me of Big Barda. XD))

"Brave words from the skunk who decided to play panther."

Stashadow rolled her optics at that.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, if the scent hasn't destroyed your vision as well as your sense of smell and apparently common sense, there are quite a few more of us and only one of you. So how about hopping off my friend there and address whatever issue you're having civilly?"

"You think I would be intimidated by a handful of you maximals? I-"

"Get off me, Star......we can play later"

Growling from the interuption with the gun barrel on her abs, she narrowed her optics at Ironclaw and leaned closer towards him, "What's the hurry? And you are going to shoot me after I taught you to transform, told you who to look for and let you go when I'm not supposed to? Ironclaw, you broke my fragile spark..." the pantherbot made a sad facial expression just to try to make him feel he owed her something and to prevent herself to get blasted by her own gun, "ahh yess...the truce...I don't follow that slag since I'm not actually a Predacon, which means...the truce doesn't apply to you when it comes to me," that was a truth. There were no predacon symbols branded on her body. She took the barrel and put it directly on her chest, "go ahead and shoot, you'll just be like any other predacon if you do..."

(ooc:

((For a moment, Aurora reminded me of Big Barda. XD))

I actually have never heard of this character before.. Interesting name! )

"Aurora maximize!"

Aurora converted from beast mode to robot form in the event this crazy cat was going to try something foolish. Yet rather than attack, the Predacon, who identified herself as being anything but a Predacon, proposed a challenge to Ironclaw when she planted the barrel of the weapon against her own chest.

"go ahead and shoot, you'll just be like any other predacon if you do..."

The female Maximal was about to protest, yet she found herself frozen in her tracks for a brief moment. A strange feeling was dwelling inside her, one that she had a hard time opening up to. It was a burning sensation, one of anger as its origin, fighting to surface in the otherwise collected and even a little timid young Maximal. It was such a dark, overwhelming desire. If Aurora had dared to explore this feeling, it was as if she wanted Ironclaw to pull that trigger.

Unwilling to dwell on it any further right now, Aurora took a step back and pulled out the grappling hook she had removed from Icebreaker's room earlier.

"Don't do it, Ironclaw," she warned as she took aim while the panther was focusing on the badger, "Don't shame your Autobot heritage by letting her fool you into doing something that cannot be undone."

The panther was clearly either insane or had a death wish to be willing to risk such a move. Although Aurora did not believe Ironclaw would fire, she also realized that if pushed enough almost anyone would be willing to go to unthinkable lengths. Ironclaw, too, was bound to have such a breaking point.

Yet as she said those words, convincing as they sounded, she found herself doubting them at the same time. Would putting this creature out of her misery really cause that much of an impact in the grand scale of things? She was essentially begging for it, after all..

No! This was wrong, no matter what! Maximals do not kill in cold blood!

Again her reasoning prevailed over these lingering, subconscious thoughts, and they slowly started to dissipate. For now.

Aurora could not fathom what was causing this turmoil inside her though, as she had never entertained such thoughts before. Perhaps this was due to the anger and despair she felt as a result of Icebreaker's meaningless death.. Yes, that had to be it. There wouldn't be any other likely cause for her feeling like this.

The little Maximal was still blissfully unaware of the chaotic nature of her creation and was as such unaware of the effects the nanites may have had on her during the building of her physical form.

Concluding anger was the cause, Aurora forced the bad thoughts to the very back of her mind and regained her focus on the task at hand. She fired the grappling hook, watching as it stuck to Starshadow's backside, and then gave the line as firm of a yank as she could muster. Yanking Starshadow off of Ironclaw would not necessarily prevent him from shooting her, but it would hopefully give him less of an incentive to do so.

When Starshadow arrived Wintersong's thoughts snapped back to reality as she stood, glaring at the panther. She really might as well have been a housefly the way she kept coming around. Sometimes the white tigress had to wonder if Starshadow was really just insane or had her own plans when she came around the Maximals. But right now she pushed the thoughts aside, Wintersong watching the scene unfold from her place on top of a boulder. But it didn't seem it would go well if Ironclaw pulled the trigger...or would it? Starshadow's proclamation that she wasn't a Predacon was a surprise, since when had that happened?

Though they likely wouldn't get the answer as Aurora took cars of the panther, simply pulling her back with the grappling hook, she was a lot stronger then she looked. But at the same time she jumped down from the boulder and came over to the badger,"You know you shouldn't let her get to you like that."She said as she transformed and offered a hand to the larger maximal to help him up. At the same time she kept an optic out for Starshadow since she had made it clear she was stubborn often enough.

"Hey Star I hate make this more irritating for you but why not just join us if you come around so often?"She asked, her tone surprisingly calm after she helped Ironclaw to stand."You did say your no longer a Predacon so why not? What else do you have to lose?"It was a crazy offer, and Wintersong hated the panther to her core. At the same time however perhaps they could make use of Starshadow not being a Predacon if she wasn't bluffing.

But Wintersong just hoped she wasn't pushing it right then and there.

(ooc: I actually left the result of the yank up to Starshadow thus why it's a bit ambiguous towards the end of my post. I just wanted Aurora to give it an honest effort without concluding how Starshadow reacted to it. Starshadow is physically stronger and I believe larger than Aurora, but being pulled from the back could also throw her balance off. Again, I don't want to jump to conclusions on the results of this. )

OOC: I looked at this thread and it looked like I was gone over a week!!! But I wasn't; it was only three days! Wow....you guys wrote a lot!!

BIC:

Arachnitron looked around in confusion. Her memory was once again lost to her, a common occurrence after such a violent switch. She wasn't sure where she was. There was a large Predacon in front of her who showed her a piece of scrap metal. For the first time, the Hybrid looked at her face and her optics. She never knew what she looked like. It was the first time she had ever seen her reflection. She noticed the other bot holding out one of his pinchers to help her up. Arachnitron accepted his offer. She rose hesitantly, but she didn't recognize the other bot. Though she figured they had been introduced as he appeared to take some interest in the widow's current condition.

DarkSpark wrote: As I inquired earlier my dear, are you ill? I think its time you leveled with me, if we are to assist each other before this planet is leveled into space debris.

But Arachnitron's memory still hadn't returned. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew only this: She, the Hybrid, was in control of the body at this moment. She knew that there were two others: Maximal and Predacon. She knew the importance of keeping her identity a secret. But she couldn't for the life of her remember who or what she was. For the time being, her past was a mystery.

For a moment, the Predacon programming was docile so the Hybrid had no idea how to answer. The Predacon had always directed the Hybrids actions. Without her "guide," she decided to just give him an answer. She figured any explanation would do as long as it wasn't the truth. But what was the truth? She couldn't remember. A simple glitch would be a believable explanation and it was a simple lie that was sure to have far less consequences than an elaborate one.

"When I came online there was a slight......glitch," she finally answered. "It altered my programming. You needn't know more."

There were definite similarities between the Hybrid and Predacon. Their voice carried the same defiance, but it was the Hybrid's was not as angry or hateful. She was visibly less aggressive than her alter ego. And while the Predacon could be described as petty and childish, the Hybrid was almost child-like with her naivety and her wonderment at seeing her reflection for the first time. In fact, her current expression could best be described as that of a lost child the longer her memory loss remained.

(ooc #2: Allow me to clarify again.. The grappling hook has a magnetic setting so it attaches to a metallic surface without penetrating or damaging it in any way. I didn't want to cause any confusion, as it almost seemed as if some assumed the hook would cause damage. Again I think it should be up to Starshadow what she'd like to do with the outcome.)

((OOC: Big Barda is a character from the DC comics. I'm gonna give OOP or anybody who would like to react about what's happening now some time to post before I make my post. :3 I'm sure Optimus and Rattrap would like to say something about Wintersong's offer to Star. Other than that, I have changed my plans for Star. Instead of staying with the preds, she's probably going to go rogue. The rest of my plans will be for you guys to find out in season 2. ; ) ))

((OOC: I'm going to hold off on Rhinox since I'm not entirely sure how everything will play out with that situation outside the ship.))


Orcariner lowered the completed coffin to the ground and grabbed a new sheet of metal to begin working on the lid. He heard Tigatron pose another question. Although not in the mood to speak anymore, the giant decided against ignoring his comrade's attempts at consolation. He will eventually have his moment of silence and solitude. Now, however, he needed to focus on completing Icebreaker's send-off even if he had to listen to those who attempted to strike up conversation with him. Focusing on Tigatron's question, Orcariner's mind returned to the scene at which Lineos and Cerano were brawling in their beast modes in the midst of lush jungle. The orca rushed to the fight by swimming upstream against the river's flow. By the time he had arrived, there were three participants instead of two.

"He helped save a friend's life," Orcariner replied.

The image of Lineos partially covered in frost flashed again.

"One of our teammate had a run in with a Pred," he continued, "and Icebreaker came in out of the blue to save him. I joined in the fight and helped them fend the guy off. We've stuck together ever since."

(( OOC: I'll throw in a post here for OP since it has been quiet, but I think the others should be given the chance to respond before this scenario is over. RT is waiting for Feralnight in case she wishes to comment, and I don't think una has been on at all since her last post because she hasn't even read my last PM to her, which is unusual. I think we all know how interested Whitegrazer would be in this scenario. Just have to play the waiting game at the moment, I suppose.

Also, I'm not going to be specific about Aurora's grappling hook and Starshadow's reaction to that because Starshadow hasn't posted for that yet and we can't know for sure that Aurora pulled her off of Ironclaw (it was only implied that that was what Phoenix was going for) despite Mystrea saying so. Just throwing that out there. Can't control what happens to other characters that don't belong to you even if it's your turn to post. However, in this case, I think it would have been better for Mystrea to have waited for Starshadow to post again (and any others to catch up and react) since another character (Aurora) got involved with her and she's currently pinning Ironclaw. Hard to say, though... ))

"You think I would be intimidated by a handful of you maximals? I-"

I would be, thought Optimus. Considering the firepower they had altogether, not to mention their ship's autoguns right there, if Starshadow made the wrong move, she could be slagged in a sparkbeat. Or taken prisoner, adding another addition to their slwoly growing Predacon collection.

"What's the hurry? And you are going to shoot me after I taught you to transform, told you who to look for and let you go when I'm not supposed to? Ironclaw, you broke my fragile spark..."

There was always something about Starshadow that Optimus couldn't quite figure out. Of course, the lack of interaction he has had with her didn't help with any developments. He recalled back in the beginning of this war on this planet when she actually appeared to be concerned for his well being while he had been battling Megatron in their beast modes. She could have taken the gorilla down but instead showed some mercy and had turned away. Now, it would seem she had offered Ironclaw some help back at the Darksyde, but Primal remained skeptical about the situation since he did not know the details yet.

"ahh yess...the truce...I don't follow that slag since I'm not actually a Predacon, which means...the truce doesn't apply to you when it comes to me," "go ahead and shoot, you'll just be like any other predacon if you do..."

Not actually a Predacon? Well, that was an interesting revelation coming from her. While it was true she lacked any insignias to phsyically show what faction she was a part of, it didn't dismiss the fact that she still followed Megatron. As far as Optimus was aware of, anyway. "Regardless of an allegiance, Starshadow, if you're under Megatron's command, then the truce does apply to you," he explained with a casual voice. Maybe they could squeeze a little more information out of this curious kitty about herself if he purposely spoke out the wrong assumptions.

"Aurora maximize!"

The Maximal leader turned his head to Aurora as she spoke and maximized. Whatever she had planned on doing next seemed to have taken her some thought. Optimus sensed some hesitation but was confident that she would make a good decision.

"Don't do it, Ironclaw," "Don't shame your Autobot heritage by letting her fool you into doing something that cannot be undone."

Primal liked to think that Ironclaw wouldn't choose to actually fire upon his attacker at such a close range which would likely cause a critical injury. Much like the one Icebreaker had sustained whether it had been meant to be an intentional death or not by Steelclaw. He hoped that the engineer was better than that. Then again, he didn't know him real well yet, and that little bit of doubt concerned him. While the ermine Fuzor pulled a somewhat risky move with her magentic grappling hook, although it was a move that didn't tarnish the truce, Optimus watched closely to see what would unfold now and how Starshadow would react. She was known to be a loose cannon at times when pushed into a corner. However, what Wintersong said next caught Primal off guard.

"Hey Star I hate make this more irritating for you but why not just join us if you come around so often?" "You did say your no longer a Predacon so why not? What else do you have to lose?"

Knowing how these two felines seemed to be mortal enemies til the end, the gorilla was shocked that the white tigress would even suggest such an idea. While it was a kind gesture, uncertain if Wintersong truly meant the offer, ultimately Optimus had the final say in allowing Starshadow to join them or not. And right now he was indecisive. With this interesting turn of events, he stood upright and folded his arms across his chest, still standing by Rhinox and Whitegrazer, remaining quiet and letting things unfold on their own between the panther and the rest of the Maximals.

((OOC: Yes, she loves to save the day, but...she's tired now. XDDDD I think Aurora, Ironclaw, and Wintersong have it handled.

I willl post after Starshadow.

And I also I didn't know you sent a PM until today. Strange, it said I have 0 new messages yesterday yet you sent it at the 18...XDDDDD

Sorry for the many edits of this one OOC comment. ))

((OOC: I'm surprised that OP didn't protest about Winter's offer. O.O I don't mind about the hook and all for now, too busy on something else to mind small stuffs. ))

"Regardless of an allegiance, Starshadow, if you're under Megatron's command, then the truce does apply to you,"

"Do you think I like to waste my whole entire life to help Megatron achieve his crazy ambition which will get me killed eventually? I think not. I'm a rogue who finally earns her freedom after the death of someone and that someone is the one who arranged the-"

Starshadow gasped when she felt something stucked on her butt and looked behind. A grappling hook from the Maxibrat? As Aurora yanked the line, she fell on her back and leaned to her side, looking at the erminebot who made a few scratch marks on her butt with the hook.

I'm starting to hate kids.... she thought, standing up and tried to release the hook off her with her hands.

"Who arranged the assault on your base," she continued while she uses more of her strength to get the hook off. That was it. She gave up on getting her gun back, "what a waste of effort coming here..."

Starshadow was about to leave until...

"Hey Star I hate make this more irritating for you but why not just join us if you come around so often?"

Join? The maximals?

"You did say your no longer a Predacon so why not? What else do you have to lose?"

A question to prove that Starshadow was telling the truth. Starshadow didn't like it one bit to say a yesbut why didn't Optimus protest? Is he going to conclude that she was lying about her claim? The question made the pantherbot uneasy but what is so bad about helping the maximals while learning more about them, and Sonar is still in the Axalon's brig, nothing bad about that.

"Hmm...why not? But it's your leader's decision to accept my assistance in this war." she replied.

((just a note, there's no need to change Stars allegiance or rank in the active rpg chara list for season 2. ))

Feralnight didn't quite know how to answer Rattrap, nor of what to say at all. He had pretty much might as well called her out for her behavior, which she wondered if he just did. But her focus went to the arrival of Starshadow, a little surprised the panther was still around after dealing with Rhinox. But she was to help her comrades if needed yet they seemed to have it under control between Aurora, Ironclaw, and Wintersong even though it wasn't exactly a hostile one.

Well unless Ironclaw had shot Starshadow then things would have gotten ugly. Though as usual the panther still being stubborn and...did she really just mean that? The fuzor was shocked to hear Wintersong, of all femmes, to ask the panther to become a maximal, and Starshadow actually considered it? Now there was a disaster waiting to happen.

Frilla too stayed out of the situation for now, but was prepared to help if the situation took a turn for the worse. It almost seemed to when Starshadow pounced on Ironclaw and then the mech pulling out the panther's own weapon. Though even the frilled lizard found that hard to believe that Starshadow wasn't a Predacon anymore. She certainly fit the bill when it came to evil and insane, in fact Frilla could only recall a few times Starshadow didn't show insanity.

Shaking her head she focused on the situation, watching her teammates quickly take care of Starshadow. Though she too was a bit surprised by the tigress's offer, wondering if Wintersong was finding a chance for something. Even for her it was odd to see her nice to Starshadow, it had become clear they were close to being arch enemies. But the panther's response was more of a shock as Frilla looked at her former teammate.

'She can't really mean that?!'Frilla thought, not liking the idea of being even near the femme again. Another fact was she didn't trust Starshadow, she never would and there had to be an alternative motive for this.