The Intergalactic Highway

She had noticed Optimus' handsome little smile towards her as she made sure Rhinox was okay, but she felt his feelings flood her spark like a gentle, mesmerizing river. It was a soothing song to her soul, tempting it was to just lose herself to it. When Rhinox answered and seemed to be all right, she was relieved and looked at Optimus for a second, enjoying the subtle moment when Starshadow attacked Ironclaw to her shock and dismay.

Watching the scene in front of her, Whitegrazer felt something else tug at her spark. Conflict. Anguish. Rage. Denial. Disgust. Looking towards Aurora, who used a grapple hook to pull Starshadow away, she looked at the sparkling, studying her expression that matched the emotions she sparked within her. There was a maternal instinct within her as she kept her concerned eyes on Aurora. Walking to stand beside Aurora, Whitegrazer looked at her with a comforting smile almost like she knew actually what was going inside Aurora's mind.

The discussion between Wintersong and Starshadow interested her especially of Starshadow's comment that she wasn't Predacon, noticing for the first time that the panther had no insignia on her.

Whitegrazer remained silent, watching the conversation then looked at Optimus, who Starshadow was staring out for an answer of approval, with an expression crossed between amusement, relief, and surprise at the strange turn of events. Being the person that she was, she would gladly accept Starshadow, but of course, she understood the cautious and wariness of the more perssimitic and practical people of the team.

Everyone deserved a chance no matter who or what the person was.

((OOC: Finally, got something out there. Thank goodness for caffeine and AC XDDD Hopefully, this post is all right. ))

(ooc: I'm sure Nem would puke if she saw Primal and Whitegrazer's sentimental love affair. Get a room, you two. )

Aurora watched in silence as Ironclaw and Wintersong rushed to Starshadow's aid. It appeared the spunky panther had calmed down, going as far as to agree to join the Maximals when the white tigress brought up the subject rather surprisingly.

Tugging lightly into her lip as she wheeled in the line of the grappling hook, Aurora shook her head in disbelief at the scenario in front of her and cast a glance back in Optimus' direction with the hopes he'd step up to solve this issue once and for all. She had barely even noticed the arrival of Whitegrazer until she suddenly found herself standing right next to the white mare, who was just looking at her with a bewildering smile on her face.

Where was Rattrap's comments when they were needed, Aurora wondered, as the rodent's snappy remarks would be a great way to break the rather awkward silence that spread among them moments after Starshadow announced she wanted to join the Maximals. The fuzor didn't know the panther very well, but from the stories she'd been told she couldn't exactly picture the other female fitting in with most of the crew.

Una wrote: Blackarachnia, who was wearing a face of disgust, saw those pests trying to create an obstacle. She shot a webbing to slow the ones behind her down. Rushing towards the air duct, she stepped back as the ones protecting the web were ready to spark her. In her beast mode, she was alot more smaller and faster. She will have to take care of the ones blocking her passage before she handled the webbing. Growling, she dashed towards them then dodged to avoid any of them from hitting her with the charges, biting one in the process.

The arachnoid bit by Blackarachnia twitched in its death throes as its comrades attempted to take down the larger spider. They nipped at her legs with their tasers and tried their hardest to get a good grip on her, the vicious little drones relentless in their attacks. One even jumped into the air to zap her from behind as the others continued their tireless assaults from the sides and front. All the while, the web weavers continued their work, determined to make the web an absolute puzzle to unravel should the intruder manage to get past them, an impenetrable barrier that would seal her fate and trap her inside with all of them. For Tarantulas, all for Tarantulas...

Blackrosefencer wrote: 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.

"Well, this is new" Tarantulas pondered to himself as he beheld the new and much more docile Arachnitron, a personality totally different from the rude little brat she'd been earlier.

He'd suspected this of her from the start, but even he was mildly surprised by how drastic a change she'd underwent and so quickly. Her optics were green now, and even though she could now see her own reflection, her own cover clearly blown, she did not appear at all startled or frightened. Instead, she seemed like a naive sparkling admiring herself for the first time instead of a secretive wench who's secret had been exposed. She also didn't seem to outright disdain him or realize he was technically her prisoner...Could she have forgotten everything that had transpired when she swapped personalities? How long would this last? Was the memory loss permanent? Either way, now was the time to act!

"Very well my dear, though my previous offer of assistance with your condition still stands. My diagnostic skills are top notch, if there's anything wrong with your programming, I can find and repair it. Ease the burden on your troubled neuroprocessor so to speak, good as new. We are after all partners, we need to both be at our best if we are to escape this planet before its destruction, which IS coming soon I fear" Tarantulas explained, still offering her his hand in "friendly" assistance while the other snapped the collar around his neck, deciding now was the time to free himself while the fembot was confused and didn't recall their previous "relationship"

Ironclaw didn't want to shoot her, she wasn't a Maximal but then again that wasn't important. Optimus agreed to this truce because he considers himself a Maximal. His finger moved off the trigger.
Surprisingly the situation wasn't under his control Starshadow was pulled off him by Aurora. He couldn't understand why, was she trying to defend him or was just about Starshadow. He couldn't bring himself to go to her. He wanted to but then Wintersong approached him and offered him a hand. He took her hand. He stood up and the grabbed her wrist hoping she would return the gesture. "Thanks Wintersong. I'll do my best" he said appreciating her help and possible friendship.

(ooc: *pokes OOP with a marshmallow stick* Ahem.. Maybe Primal could offer some input on the Starshadow request? )

(( OOC: Yes, Phoenix, I'm quite aware, and recognized your previous hints. I'm sorry I've been too busy lately to post. It's been a busy week and an even busier weekend for me. I'm too tired to post tonight but I will try to do so tomorrow sometime.

First off, I was not expecting Starshadow to actually accept the offer to join the Maximals. So I have been indecisive about what to have OP do about it, and also what Rattrap would say and all that fun stuff. Just been trying to figure things out in my head for the past few days with no absolute conclusions yet; taking into consideration how other Maximals and former Predacons might feel about it, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

I'd also like to express that before we have the alien mushroom arrive, I'd like to have OP have time to speak privately with Ironclaw, Whitegrazer, and possibly Orcariner (unless he'd rather speak to Rhinox about Icebreaker's death). Once we get the Vok involved, there will be no time for one-on-one chats with anyone before Optimus dies, so I'd really like to get the chance to share more with these Maximals and find out more about them while I can. Do we also want to go through with Icebreaker's funeral?

Last, but not least, where are the Preds? Besides the spiders, that is. Megatron should rally his troops and find out what exactly happened with the Maximals' intrusion. What were they seeking, what did they find out, and who failed to stop them. All that jazz. Again, I apologize for my delayed repsonse, and will try to catch up tomorrow at some point. ))

((Yes, sorry with the delay for the Predacons on my part OOP. Like you I've been caught up in some other things that have kept me busy last week or so, which has caused some writer's block for a time but I shall take this chance of a break to post. Again sorry!))

Once the Maximals had left Megatron shook his head in disbelief, mainly at the fact that they had been able to infiltrate the Darksyde and get out with no casualties to add to it. Had his Predacons really been so clueless? Shaking his head once more the tyrant was about to turn to head inside before Steelclaw, one of the few he last expected to be absent when it came to the Maximals, approached him and it made the t-rex a little suspicious of where the bear had been but for now it was the last thing on his mind at the moment."We had a little Maximal problem Steelclaw and one I plan to figure out why it happened without any of my present soldiers not being able to handle the issue in my absence."He said, his voice fairly annoyed with the Predacons, likely lazing around.

It wasn't uncommon for his Predacons to to their own thing but there were times the Predacon leader could see some sense in them to take the initiative to handle intruders when he wasn't around, which had been for most of the day. "All Predacons report to the main bridge immediately,"He ordered over the communications system, making his tone quite threatening for those who dared to defy the order. Oh yes he was not happy, not in the least! He would make sure that he got the answers he wanted, or figure it out on his own through what his underlings told him. Turning he motioned for Steelclaw to follow, not waiting to see if the other did and walked past Onyx into the hanger, having also been aware a certain group of spiders hadn't been present. Just as expect, He thought and smirked slightly, I will discover what your up to spiders one way or another.

Onyx meanwhile had been patiently waiting, hearing Megatron's threatening message for all Predacons to be present but it seemed very few now remained and it must have been growing quite irritating for Megatron have to make it clear to all of them he was the one in charge. Though as the stallion transformed he nodded at Steelclaw, glad to see his fellow warrior back and it didn't seem the tyrant had inquired to his whereabouts, which was a good thing. They really couldn't afford to lose more Predacons which made him wonder if they would slowly one by one. Shaking his head a bit Onyx complied with the orders and followed Megatron inside not quite knowing how this meeting would be handle. Earlier that day they had had one and were now down one less Predacon.

Scorponok quickly sprinted back to the Darksyde upon hearing Megatron's orders. He had been the cause of his leader's displeasure several times since the initiation of the Beast Wars. Given Ironclaw's easy escape, the 1st Lieutenant hoped that he would not be thrown into the spotlight again. He noticed a looming shadow above him and caught the sight of Terrorsaur uneasily flying back to the ship, as well. That gave him an idea.

"Bird brains!" he yelled.

Terrorsaur looked down at the scorpion.

"What?"

"This is all your fault. If you had stopped the furball inside the ship, we wouldn't have had to deal with all of this mess! Megatron is going to send you to the cells for this!"

"Wait what?! If it weren't for me, none of you would've known about the spy!"

Scorponok shrugged, "But you still let him out of your sight even though he was right in front of you. That makes it your fault in the end. See you back at the ship!"

The obsidian Predacon scurried even quicker as he entered the hanger bay. It was done. He now had a scapegoat for everyone else to point to. Even if Terrorsaur wasn't exactly the sole individual to blame, at least the thought was now implanted into the pterodactyl. The idea alone would make the flyer paranoid enough to make him do something stupid, perhaps stupid enough to force Megatron to take out his frustrations on Terrorsaur. Scorponok chuckled with giddiness as he proceeded towards the bridge.

Megatron wrote:We had a little Maximal problem Steelclaw and one I plan to figure out why it happened without any of my present soldiers not being able to handle the issue in my absence.

Steelclaw didn't saw anything back. Megatron was obviously mad, but he didn't want to address Steelclaw's absence specifically, so there wasn't any excuse Steelclaw could offer right now that would sound good in any way.

Megatron wrote:All Predacons report to the main bridge immediately.

This wasn't going to go pretty. But seeing as Megatron had never said what kind of Maximal problem had been had, the meeting would at least offer Steelclaw the chance to find out.

He started following as soon as Megatron motioned to him. He couldn't help but notice how much the Predacon leader's massive frame dwarfed his own. He turned when he caught Onyx transforming in his peripheral vision, and then saw his fellow's nod, which he returned respectfully.

* * *

When Dinobot got inside the Axalon, he had expected the others would soon follow. So he got wondering what was taking them so long...

And then he saw the surveillance cameras running inside the bridge. And he growled. Starshadow. What could she even want out here, so hopelessly outnumbered, during a formal truce, no less?

The elevator had just finished taking him down when he heard the words...

Starshadow wrote:Hmm...why not? But it's your leader's decision to accept my assistance in this war.

Dinobot admitted to himself briefly that, perhaps, it was Optimus' decision. But this was unbearable.

"You, who were threatening one of our own mere moments ago?" he answered her incredulously. "You had better return to your base, fleabag."

(( OOC: Thank you for taking the time to post, Wildfire. Very much appreciated. I was beginning to get a little worried there. ))

"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-" "Who arranged the assault on your base," "what a waste of effort coming here..."

Curious, the gorilla raised a brow at Starshadow's confession.

Wait. Does that mean Glowstick's... dead? thought Rattrap. Just like that? What the heck happened? he wondered.

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

Just as Feralnight grew distracted by the panther's entrance, it seemed she wasn't going to comment on anything Rattrap had said to her, so he focused on what just transpired between Starshadow and Wintersong's offer. Was she crazy?! And Starshadow was accepting it?! Why wasn't Optimus denying this request? Why wasn't anybody saying anything?! It would seem Rattrap would have to be the one to speak up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he announced as he waddled out of the boulder's shadow from the moonlight over toward Primal and the others. "Back up the garbage truck!" Stopping by the other Maximals, he stood up on his hind legs and gave a glare to Starshadow before looking back at the others and Wintersong. "Anybody else think dis is crazy? I mean, it's bad enough we let Chopper Face join our little band right after we landed 'ere especially with his intentions, and now you wanna let somebody even crazier than him join? We might as well invite Megatron over, too!"

Reaching up to thoughtfully stroke his chin, as if actually considering the notion, Optimus replied in a teasing manner, "That's not a bad idea, Rattrap, since we're under a truce anyway."

The brown rat simply shot his leader a glare with his black, beaty eyes.

Primal gave him a short smile before putting the jokes aside and returning his gaze to Starshadow. Recalling what she and Ironclaw had said earlier when the tension was a little higher, he was now a little perplexed by what she was looking for when it came to her place in this war or just on this planet, so he decided to seek for some clarification before making any final decisions. He also wanted to take into account how Starshadow's enrollment, should it happen, would effect some of his current crew members. Frilla, for example, might be quite uncomfortable with it since she used to be a Predacon and didn't seem to trust the panther at all. Rattrap obviously had a problem with it but that was his reaction for every Predacon who wanted to join them. With Wintersong, well, he still couldn't tell if she had meant the offer or if it was just a means to calm things down and distract Starshadow's mind from harming Ironclaw because those two felines sought to battle each other every time they crossed paths. And as for the Maximal Commander's own thoughts, could this just be a ploy, or was Starshadow taking the offer seriously? Did she have other intentions, like spying for the Predacons or sabotage? Or did she truly want to see how the Maximals operated and if it was a place for her? It was a difficult decision. Either he would be putting his crew in danger again with her addition - as if holding Nemesis and Sonar prisoner wasn't dangerous enough - or he would be giving her a chance to see things from a different perspective and perhaps something she might end up enjoying or appreciating. He couldn't possibly know right now. Both Dinobot and Frilla had been grateful additions to his crew, and at this point Optimus couldn't imagine this war without their help on this "side," but could Starshadow be the end to his "winning" streak of judgement? Deep down he felt she deserved the same chance that had been given to Dinobot and Frilla. Dinobot, who had first battled him for leadership of the Maximals, and wound up joining them anyway and turned out to be a very honorable and formidable ally, warrior and friend. And Frilla, who had the greatest opportunity of seriously slagging Optimus but chose a different path for herself and what she thought was best for her, sparing his life.

"You, who were threatening one of our own mere moments ago?" "You had better return to your base, fleabag."

Looking at Dinobot who had decided to return outside and offer his two cents on the matter, Optimus sighed quietly, taking in everyone's reactions. For someone who wasn't in such a different position when he first threatened to join them, Primal was a little take aback by the raptor's words.

Refolding his arms back over his chest, Primal finally spoke toward the panther. "You can't be a rogue if you're going to join my crew, Starshadow," Optimus explained calmly, returning to the label she had given herself just moments before. "We work as a team, a family, and you would be expected to follow my orders. Although if you disobey them, you can rest assure that my discipline does not resolve to termination." He still felt pretty bad that that had been Glowstick's demise for his actions. As bad as they were, he disagreed with Megatron that that was the right course of action. It was bad enough they already lost another spark - Icebreaker's - they didn't really need to lose another in this senseless war, especially for undermining a commanding officer.

"Yeah but we can still make exceptions, though," Rattrap threw in as an attempt to scare her off.

"Shut up, Rattrap," said Optimus, reaching over and gently smacking his shoulder with the back of his hand. "However, Starshadow, if you don't want to be trapped under someone else's command, then I would suggest taking leave now."

"Ow," the rat whispered and glared at the gorilla while rubbing his shoulder with his little pink paw. It hadn't really hurt but he tried to play it up as the diva he was sometimes. "You aren't actually considering this, are you, Optimus?" he asked him. "Dis ain't a good idea. Have you forgotten she's crazy?"

"I've witnessed some of her behavior that suggests otherwise," the silverback explained, lowering his arms to his sides and looking back toward Starshadow to let her comment.

(( OOC: I'll stop there since it's getting late for me, and let others reply. I'll post for Stripes next time; sorry for the wait, Alak. ))

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up the garbage truck! Anybody else think dis is crazy? I mean, it's bad enough we let Chopper Face join our little band right after we landed 'ere especially with his intentions, and now you wanna let somebody even crazier than him join? We might as well invite Megatron over, too!"

No matter how much Starshadow wanted to strangle the rodent, she did her best to keep her cool and ignored the sarcasm.

"You, who were threatening one of our own mere moments ago?" "You had better return to your base, fleabag."

"Did you say something? I didn't quite catch that last sentence." the pantherbot smiled and licked the top surface of her hand and rubbed it on her head.

"You can't be a rogue if you're going to join my crew, Starshadow. We work as a team, a family, and you would be expected to follow my orders. Although if you disobey them, you can rest assure that my discipline does not resolve to termination."

"Yeah but we can still make exceptions, though,"

"Shut up, Rattrap. However, Starshadow, if you don't want to be trapped under someone else's command, then I would suggest taking leave now. "

Starshadow just growled at that. It seems she would have to leave a stronger bitter taste in her mouth, "I...accept your terms.." (Yay for achieveing a balanced ratio! No need to change allegiance for her. Banshee unknown allegiance will determine if Star stays to help Maxies or betray them.)

"I don't doubt that Ironclaw,"Wintersong said smiling as he gripped his wrist a bit in return, wondering if maybe she was making a new friend in the process of all this chaos. In times like this it never hurt to have friends, luckily the tigress had learned that from an earlier time in the war and hoped maybe she could improve from being a loner all the time, but she would see. Turning her gaze back to the others she could see shock on many of their faces since she was the one to offer it, as strange as it appeared but what else could they do but seize a moment of another teammate.

Of course there seemed fairly uneasy looks among some of them, mainly Frilla who didn't seem quite thrilled at the idea of Starshadow coming to their side and even Dinobot showed his discontent of her. Though of course the most vocal was Rattrap in his protests, pretty much saying most everyone's thoughts of not wanting her to join them and it seemed Optimus had actually considered it. A little relieved Primal gave this a chance she was quite surprised that Starshadow said she accepted the terms and was actually saying she would. Honestly Wintersong never really expected the panther to accept the offer and she hadn't had anything intended behind except to take advantage of Starshadow likely willing to leave the Predacons.

Reverting to beast mode the white tigress took a step forward, looking at Starshadow but managed to keep her voice calm instead of hostile."Well Star, maybe we can retry that alliance way back when we crashed here, who knows you might not be as bad as you make yourself out to be."She said so the others could hear, hopefully showing she had no bad intentions. With a final look at her teammates Wintersong shrugged her shoulders and trotted away towards the lift to head inside.

(( I have to admit I found all the surprised reactions a little funny, never thought it might be that surprising.))

Although she was willing to offer Ironclaw a hand, he couldn't agree with her offering Starshadow a place among the Maximals. She had just tried to stab him, after almost blowing his head off. Why would he ever want to serve in the same team as she did. Though Wintersong was a friend to him. Was she soft like Tigertron? He hoped she wasn't, he wanted to work with people who were strong and focussed.

Ironclaw agrred with both Rattrap and Dinobot, although had defected to the Maximals aswell. Which could mean his opinion meant very little at all.

He watched Wintersong revert back to her white tiger form and all the way to the lift. His gaze then went to Aurora, the one person he didn't want to get hurt despite what he felt about their situation and Optimus. He knew something had to be said and he knew when the right time was. Maybe talking to Saber-fang would help him. He didn't know much about her but she might have a useful insight.

Ironclaw simply strolled away and folded his arms looking inot the distant night.

Whitegrazer looked at Starshadow with a smile and bowed her head slightly, "Welcome to the Maximals, Starshadow."

She had no problem with welcoming Starshadow and like Optimus, was willing to give her a chance. If she wasn't actually truthful in her words, then they will act accordingly, nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully, the panther's request was genuine.

Trust but varify. Cautious but dipolomatic.

She focused on Ironclaw, wondering what he found in the Predacon base. It was curious to see why Megatron wanted a truce so badly. The thought actually made her spark feel dread with the answer, a chill shivering through her circuits. Despite the sudden feeling, she was optimistic that her friends and herself can handle it.

Her thoughts then drifted back to her conversation with Steelclaw and remembering that she promised to research Pinpoint. Also, she better research Steelclaw as well. At least, the system should have some basic history on him.

Of course, she will have to make time after she talked to Optimus. Well, maybe she will have time after the debriefing if Optimus needed to speak others before her. She will keep herself occupied until that time. Maybe show Starshadow some quarters or talk to the others.

Hey, don't forget the discussion I need to speak to you about! Priority one, missy!

We will have it when I get back to my quarters. I don't want people thinking I'm crazy when you start talking and I talk back sponteonuously out of reflex.

You are crazy with all due respect.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The arachnoid bit by Blackarachnia twitched in its death throes as its comrades attempted to take down the larger spider. They nipped at her legs with their tasers and tried their hardest to get a good grip on her, the vicious little drones relentless in their attacks. One even jumped into the air to zap her from behind as the others continued their tireless assaults from the sides and front. All the while, the web weavers continued their work, determined to make the web an absolute puzzle to unravel should the intruder manage to get past them, an impenetrable barrier that would seal her fate and trap her inside with all of them. For Tarantulas, all for Tarantulas...

Flinching at the burning sensation nipping her skinny, tan legs, she let out a hiss of frustration and pain, watching as the spiders ahead of her where creating an impenetrable barrier. Using her beast mode's agility to escape from the spiders to her sides and front, she was knocked over by the one that launched in the air towards her backside. She tried to shake it off, but then she transformed and grabbed it, throwing it towards the others. Taking out her grappling hook gun, she fired at the web barrier. The impact wobbled the barrier an inch. She pulled on it to try and tear off the barrier from the hinges. She let out a grunt then staggered back a few meters towards the spider army behind her.

She smirked and transformed back into beast mode and jumped through the shaft.

Aurora merely watched the scene unfold with a confused look of disbelief on her face.

Starshadow joining the Maximals now? Something seemed a bit off about that, although she wasn't as opposed to the idea as some of the others. Still she felt rather suspicious of the panther's motives behind this sudden change of heart. She'd heard stories about how the black panther had her own methods to things and those methods didn't exactly follow Maximal ideologies.

The fuzor quickly glanced around at the other Maximals present, taking note of both their silent and verbal objections to this unexpected change of events. Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Optimus were all voicing their approvals, yet a majority of the rest seemed less than keen on this idea.

She silently agreed with the protesters but refrained from speaking up at this time, mostly due to her thoughts also lingering on those negative emotions she herself had been experiencing a few moments earlier. Aurora didn't quite know what had caused those feelings but she hoped they wouldn't return.

As the protests started to settle down and Ironclaw was moving away, the little fuzor turned to the white mare who was nearly twice her own height. She glanced between her and Optimus for a moment before she finally spoke, keeping her voice low to avoid attracting attention.

"I'm all for showing mercy and giving second chances but.. I hope you guys know what you're doing here. Not everyone will be as tolerant and inviting as you are."